One of a Kind
by SwallowSword
Summary: "Kyoya, stop saying 'bite' in front of her! You're giving her the wrong ideas!" There are times when even Dino is unsure of his own sanity. When he finds her collapsed in his garden, he just had to let her in. And now, look what he's got on his hands: a supernatural being, someone who is only supposed to live in myths. As if Hibari Kyoya wasn't enough...Dino x Vampiric!OC
1. Prologue

Summary: "Kyoya, stop saying 'bite' in front of her! You're giving her the wrong ideas!" There are times when even Dino is unsure of his own sanity. When he finds her collapsed in his garden, he just had to let her in. And now, look what he's got on his hands: a non-existent being, someone who is only supposed to live in legends. Dino x Vampiric!OC.

Rating: T (For kissy bits in the future.)

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Genre: Humor, Romance (I really need to practice these genres, and although angst may be a minor element in some moments, I really am aiming at a nice romance fic. I really suck at writing romance with little or no sad stuff, so I do need to practice. And what better way than to write humorous romance?)

A/N: Guys, you know what's annoying? I can't get on Gmail from where I am right now (Beijing! OAO). So basically, I usually write all my chapters on a Google document. But I can't access any of it! And I've written in advance for all my stories already, which makes it all the more annoying...I'm not about to go typing all 20000 words or so of chapters up in word documents (Because that would be a bit counter productive, and besides, I wouldn't be able to remember anything that's coming up), so I decided to start a new story.

Behold, a Dino x OC! With a little bit of Brotherly!Hibari thrown in. This plot...just kind of hit me in the face with a big signpost spelling 'Write me! WRITE ME!' so I had to kind of...write it. Please forgive me, if you think it cliche or disgusting or just another stupid addition to this fandom.

There will be a plot to this...I hope. I kind of want to make this a multichapter story, and I do have a plot, but I'm notorious for not uploading on time; so I guess we'll see from the responses! :3

Read, enjoy, and scream at me via the review button if you hate (or like) anything I'm writing. All in all, have a good time!

**THIS IS AU, SO THE CHARACTERS WILL HAVE DIFFERENT AGES AND BACKGROUNDS!** Reasons will be revealed as I write.

* * *

She grew up in the depths of the forest, verdant surroundings, with birds chirping in the trees. It was a cold, different relationship with nature; a silent 'live and let live' pact. She didn't appreciate or bother nature, and in turn, nature let her and her kind live in its silent depths. Perhaps the forest, the trees knew that they were housing monsters. For many years, she was categorized as a 'Lost Child', someone whose parents abandoned her for reasons unknown. There were small pockets of societies in the forests, deep among the trees and unable to be found by humans, but she had long since lost interest in joining them, because she knew that although they were one and the same, she preferred to be 'different'. She wanted to be unique, and that stayed as a selfish wish inside her tiny heart all these years, festering and growing until finally, she let it burst free.

She wanted to go out into the 'real world', a world occupied by what her kind knew as 'weaklings' or 'Grounded Ones', if they wanted to be polite. She, however, knew they were called humans, and she refused to refer to them any other way. She wouldn't give up her powers for the world, but in her eyes, humans are equals.

She wanted to get along with them.

So when the humans finally decide to take over the forest, shearing the trees down as if they were snapping mere toothpicks in half, she didn't do anything. Her kin tried to fight, to no avail, because as soon as they tried to run out into the sunlight, they were hit with a bad bout of paralysis and merely stood in place as the humans gunned them down. Then, her eyes had widened at the power that the humans held in their hands. Guns, weapons, black metal glinting in the sunlight. The rattle of the gunfire terrified and awed her at the same time, and she found herself irrevocably drawn to the scene.

And then the smell of blood, the sight of the bodies of her own kind littering the ground, drove her back into hiding.

That night, she stayed in the safe shadows of the forest, watching the men at work. Men in black suits swarm in the newly carved clearing, laying weird material on the floor and stomping all over it with peculiar machinery. They took the dead trees and used wood to build a mansion. They worked incredibly fast, and within a week, there was already a clear-cut structure for the house. It amazed her, the speed and determination at which they worked. They were like ants in their single-minded determination.

And finally, when the mansion was completed, they put down the last finishing touches to the new structure.

So now, there was a red, brick wall separating her from the world she desperately wanted to learn about. And she dared not cross it until night has fallen, cloaking both worlds in comforting darkness.

* * *

For a long while, she was content with dancing along the wall and observing the inhabitants of the mansion. _Or was it because she's scared? The sight of fellow vampires lying in pools of their own blood was still fresh in her mind. But it couldn't be. She wasn't one to be easily touched by emotions. _She loved the feeling of sitting on the fence, between two worlds. On one side, it was the familiarity of the forest that calmed her down. On the other side, it was an acute spike of curiosity for the human world that kept her thirsting for knowledge.

There was someone just a couple of years older than she was in that mansion: a little blonde boy, who goes by the name of Dino. Or at least, that's what everyone else in the mansion calls him. _Master Dino. _

He's incredibly clumsy, so much so that it hurt to watch him move about sometimes. He would knock into rare artifacts like they were nothing but plastic toys, watch them tumble to the ground with a gaping mouth. On occasion, he would move to catch it, but it would just worsen the situation, as his feet seem to catch on anything and everything. A fallen artifact would mean one thing broken. A fallen artifact and Dino's helpful nature meant pages of bills for his father to pay.

Dino was obviously well loved by the household. Well, at least by everyone except his father. She watched curiously as Dino was sent out of the room every single time the man walked into one. Dino was not allowed into the man's office at all times, even though other men in black suits, obviously of lower rank or power, walked in with ease.

Dino didn't seem to mind this in the least. He gave everyone else in the household pleasant smiles, and that sparked her interest. She wondered if it was wishful thinking that one day, Dino would give her a pleasant smile as well. But she still didn't dare get closer. She was content with watching from afar.

* * *

A few years later, Dino's father died. She watched, perched precariously on the edge of the faded red wall, toes curling over the edge as if she was about to leap into the garden, as the blonde curled up underneath his blankets in bed at night. She cartwheeled to the rhythm of his sobs.

The next day, unfamiliar faces showed up at the mansion. They trooped in, carrying elaborate cases and bunch of flowers that even she could not name. Her eyes widened as they greeted the boy as if he was family. Dino's smiles were strained. For someone accustomed to seeing his carefree smiles day to day, she knew that he was forcing himself to look happy, and the sight twisted her stomach into inexplicable knots. She didn't want him to suffer. She wanted him to _smile. _But there was nothing she could do, except make faces at him through the window at night, carefully blanketed in shadows but all the while, hoping that he would see and acknowledge her efforts.

And then a man with a fedora and distinctive sideburns walked confidently into the mansion. She watched curiously as he walked straight up to Dino, expecting him to shake his hand and smile or mutter something into his ear, as all the other men have done. Instead, the man gave him a slap, watching coldly as Dino stumbled into the wall. Dino's men swarmed around him, but with one hand held up, the newly named Cavallone Decimo put their movements on standby.

"Idiot Dino, grow some guts. Your father is dead, but you must continue running the Family. I'm here to help you with that." The man tilted his fedora and tapped the brim of the hat. Dino merely nodded.

"Make me stronger." Dino silently requested, and the man nodded, introducing himself as 'Reborn, the greatest hitman in the world'. _What is a hitman? _She wonders to herself, watching the exchange through confused eyes.

She was hardly surprised when Dino leaves, shoulders sagging with a new weight. Reborn stares after Dino for a while, before he turns to the window and glanced out into the rapidly darkening dusk. Looking straight at where she was hidden. She ducked, heart pounding, hoping that he wouldn't come after her. And when she finally gained enough courage to peek out again, she saw that 'Reborn' was still looking straight at her.

He smiled and tipped his hat at her in greeting, and she thought that maybe, just maybe...

This was an invitation into their world.

* * *

"_Make me stronger." _That became her own personal mantra, although she didn't really know what it meant. She was the silent observer to all of Dino's daily activities, from running laps around the grounds to firing one of those deadly weapons at cardboard cutouts of men. Dino changed. His aura became more serious, dotted with maturity and aged with the feeling of someone who has seen and heard too much. His smiles were nonetheless fewer, but when it came to genuine emotion behind the parting of his lips, she could no longer tell. He became better at lying, deceiving, and for a moment she was scared that she had lost the boy she had wanted to get to know better. She cursed her own uselessness, cursed her own fear and hesitation. _Maybe if I'd climbed over the wall and talked to him, maybe if I'd helped him more..._

Perhaps the Dino now would be different. But even she could not turn back time, so she could only watch helplessly from the sidelines, no longer content with her given role of 'observer'. The guns kept her at bay, but curiosity and pain threatened to overwhelm her at times. She wanted to talk to Dino and she _wanted _him to smile back at her.

And that was how she grew up next to Dino Cavallone, grew accustomed to the ways of the humans, all the while keeping her distance. She learnt their language, observed their interactions and worked them into her own movements. She was clumsier when it came to performing such actions, but she carefully filed the information away into her mind, for hope that one day she would be able to use them.

And that day would come, years later, when Dino turns 22.

* * *

Update: Chapter 1 is written and ready to be posted! Please review this chapter before I post, because I really would love to hear from all of you :)


	2. Chapter 1: Acting on Impulse

A/N: Dino is now 22. OC is 20. Hibari is 21. Reasons will be revealed as I write...

Update: Right now, I'm just...ugh, I have tabs open on my Google Chrome webpage, and one of them is 'alcohol chemistry and you!' and I really question my own sanity right now (as Dino is questioning his XD Badum, tshhh~) so I decided to take a break on trying to find out what ethanol does to phospholipid bilayers and write this.

I apologize in advance for horrible grammar, incorrect term usage, OOC characters and possibly a Mary Sue OC (please scream at me if she is, I really dislike Mary Sues but sometimes I get too into writing something and I don't know what I'm doing, creating a _monster_. Hey, I think Frankenstein would agree with me.)

Many thanks to **blacklightningwolf** and **kimichee **for reviewing!

* * *

It was Dino's 22nd birthday.

Exactly a year had passed since he met the Vongola members and got to know all of them as if they were family. Around 9 years since Reborn had taken him under his wing and trained him to the very limits of his own potential, so that he would be in ship-shape to take over his late father's Famiglia. And although he was daunted by the prospect of having literally hundreds of men under his command, he knew that he was truly where he is supposed to be, especially as he stands on the balcony in the morning, gazing out at the mansion grounds, watching as his men moved about readying the mansion for the day.

There was never a day of peace in a Mafia Family's headquarters. The mansion had to be prepped every day, there were system checks to be run through just in case of an attack, there were letters to send out and invitations and gifts to receive. There were people to instruct, business to take care of, stocks of companies to observe, and paperwork. _Paperwork. _Dino sighed into his cup of morning tea. There was just no getting away from it all, was there?

Although many of his subordinates had suggested that he take the day off, Dino couldn't just simply relax and leave everything in the hands of someone else. Regrettably, some things are meant just for boss's eyes and even if they could be distributed, there was still the risk of important information falling into the hands of traitors and spies planted within their own family. The closest Dino could come to taking a break is leaving half an hour of work in Romario's hands while he caught a rare few more minutes of sleep.

It was his birthday. He was turning 22. It was an important occasion. So there was a party that had to be run. The invites had gone out two months earlier, so all the guests were correctly listed and noted. Everything was in place; the gardens had been decorated and trimmed, and was now fenced off until the party, so that nobody could ruin the perfect arrangement. The ballroom and the dining room is now filled with many dining tables and crystal plates and cups. It was an elegant yet cheery setup, but Dino didn't feel like attending at all. What was so glorious about turning 22? He was just getting older, he just had more work to do, more _marriage proposals to look for. _Maybe, he mused to himself, it was a way of telling him that he had survived the previous year, with it's many assassination attempts and Mafia warfare. Surely there were more to come, so it's best to celebrate while he still can.

Movement down in the garden below caught his eye.

Dino was on alert immediately. There was no telling when the enemy Familgias were going to strike. With the Cavallone's rise to power, there was also an increase in adverse groups who were opposed to the Cavallone's strength. Since he's throwing a party, there was bound to be one or two people who had come to make it his death day.

Another flash of movement. Something darted behind a bush. Dino's eyes widened, and he all but tripped himself over in his haste to get downstairs.

Nobody was supposed to be in the garden right now. _Nobody._

* * *

Upon reaching the ground floor, he was met with a concerned Romario. "Boss! We're expecting Hibari Kyoya-san earlier for your party, because he's going to oversee the setting up of the security syste-...boss, are you listening? Hibari-san will be very displeased if you forget! Boss!" Dino ran right past his hassled right hand, allowing himself to empathize with the man for a brief second before reminding himself that there were probably some pests in the garden that he had to take care of. It would be better if he didn't let his men know, so they don't work themselves into a frenzy to search for the intruder.

He wandered the garden cautiously, whip in hand, peering into bushes and around the corners of the buildings. The red brick wall stood, steadfast as ever, to his left. It brought him reassurance, that assassins wouldn't be able to get over it without alerting some people in the main communications room. A couple of months ago, Dino had had his men install pressurized sensors all over it, just in case someone decided to leap over it to infiltrate the mansion.

Although, the team had said that there were problems with the wall. Something about abnormal readings at night. No matter, because nothing had shown up on camera. It was probably just a bird landing on the wall.

There were eyes on his back. His skin crawled with the feeling of being watched, and was it his imagination, or did he just hear a breathy voice whisper his name? Dino was sure that the unknown being was right behind him now. All it now takes is...the element of surprise.

"Aha!" Dino leapt around, screaming an incomprehensible battle cry, his whip lashing out. The leather coiled around a poor bush, tearing it almost completely out of the ground. Back near the front doors of the mansion, he hears a cry of anguish and remembers that someone must've spent ages combing and trimming this very bush a few weeks prior.

And there was the source of his trouble: two beady black eyes staring right back at him. A gaping maw.

"ENZO! Come on, buddy, you're not even supposed to be out and about! Didn't I put you in your cage last night? I'm sure I locked the door." Dino nudged his beloved pet turtle in the general direction of the mansion, watching with mock irritation as Enzo reluctantly ambled back towards the mansion. The turtle turned to give its master a reproachful look before disappearing indoors.

Dino sighed with relief. Who knows how many more plants Enzo might have destroyed if it actually got into the pond? But right now...he had to face the consequences of the little bush that he had just destroyed. And consequence was currently storming towards him in the form of a tearful gardener with dirty overalls and a spade in hand.

* * *

She had been having a bad day this morning, and the day only seemed to get worse. Last night, there had been an unknown disturbance in the forest, and like all the other animals, she had thought it wise to flee. Although she was of a higher intelligence than all the small creatures inhabiting the woods alongside with her, she never questioned the instinctive nature of said animals. She was a vampire, a being with enhanced sight, speed and smell, but that did not mean she was necessarily on par with the sensors of birds or squirrels.

So when they ran, she ran.

But she had gotten clumsy, staying so close to the brick wall. She had tried to copy the human way of walking, and had all but forgotten how to flit in a vampiric way. As a result, she had tripped over a tree root and had sprawled painfully on the ground. Her ankle was now swollen, painful to the touch, and she wasn't willing to put much weight on it.

It was disturbing, the way the forest fell silent after her fall. She had listened breathlessly for any form of danger, but there was nothing but silence all around. Slowly, she had gotten up, all to aware of the sounds she was making with her limp.

Luckily, the night passed without incident, but she suspected that something evil had taken up residence in the forest that night. It was only a matter of time before it found her.

For the better part of dawn, she had limped around with her ankle. With the sunlight streaming through the gaps in the treetops, the area around her suddenly became all the more dangerous. One wrong move and she would be paralyzed in place, sunlight hitting her square in the face or on her body, and she would be defenseless as whatever it was last night that had scared the animals off came to get her. It was tricky, navigating the leafy, uneven floor with an injury that she was so unaccustomed to, but she managed to reach the brick wall without incident. She had leant heavily against the wall, until a little cackle of electricity caught her attention.

There were hidden sensors in the wall. It was no longer a safe haven for her.

She almost sobbed in anguish, but practicality was built into her nature. She slowly picked herself off the wall and rolled back into the shadows of the forest, only daring to peek out. She could no longer dance along the top of the brick wall. She felt like an integral part of her being had just been ripped out and crushed.

The brick wall was now fenced off to her as well, crawling with technology and alien software. Gone were the days where she could dance along it's top as if it was a mere playground.

The forest had become dangerous. There was a hunter in the forest, a beast of some kind. And it frightened her. She would much rather deal with the guns that the humans had. At least she would be able to dodge some of the bullets, she reasoned.

And it was then that she made it her resolution to get over the wall today.

It would have to be quick work, for the sunlight was going to hit the brick wall at any moment now, and if she wanted to get over _and survive_, then she would have to stay in the shadows, where she wouldn't be paralyzed.

She gathered the strength in her legs and leapt up to the top of the wall, wobbling slightly to keep her balance. Her injury scraped against the rough surface, catching on some of the wires that hooked the sensors up to the wall. Tears sprang to her eyes. She really didn't like this pain. It was just a sprained ankle, but she had never felt such pain before. Before, it was just pain in her stomach when she was hungry, or pain in her heart when she felt lonely, but it was never anything that _physical._

She fell headfirst into a bush.

Coughing, she tried to detangle some silver ribbons that had gotten caught in her arms and around her face. Slowly, she pulled the ribbons apart. Why were there ribbons in the bush anyway?

So far, so good. The house was relatively quiet, with no sound other than some clattering pots and pans coming from the kitchen. Must be the kitchen staff preparing for breakfast. Her stomach growled and she bit down on her arm to quench her thirst and keep the hunger at bay for a while longer. Her own blood had no taste to her. It was rather like drinking saliva to fool yourself into thinking that you were ingesting something, and her nose wrinkled in disgust. She preferred savory, rich blood, and she had gotten by all these years, hunting forest animals and the occasional foolish human who dared to cross into her territory.

All of her prey, she had sucked dry. Perhaps that was why the humans often came into the forest in groups, wearing peculiar, similar clothing and carrying guns with them. Sometimes, she would be able to lure one of them away and suck him or her dry too, but more often than not they were not so easily separated.

Thinking about food made her hungry, and she shook her head a couple of times to clear her mind. If she wasn't careful, she could go into her obsessive state and dart out of hiding. Right now, she was safe, behind a bush.

"...oss!" A far off voice called. She winced and pushed her head into the bush, blinking leaves out of her line of sight. Soon, the sound of someone hurrying to her position reached her ears, and she tried to flatten herself into the bush further. "Dino?" She dared to call softly, testing the name out on her tongue. Although she had spoken his name in the forest many times, trying to get accustomed to human speech, it had never felt as unnatural as when she said it right now. It was just another testament to how different the two of them were to each other. Dino was human, she wasn't. She didn't even have a name.

"AHA!" There came a great screech, making her jump. Her sensitive ears rang with the sound. She growled in annoyance as she realized her legs had landed in a patch of sunlight. They were paralyzed now, and if she tried to crawl out of it with her arms, the man would surely find her. Blood pounded in her ears, and it was now that she realized just how scared she was. There was a ripping sound, and the bush a few meters to her left was lifted out of its soil with thick, brown string.

A mop of blonde hair came into sight. There he was, looking down at something, a mere meter in front of her. The bush hid most of her body, but just the sight of him made her gasp. He looked so different up close. His hair was even more unruly than she had observed, combed messily to the side with individual strands sticking stubbornly out in different directions. His arms were muscular, and she could now see that his arms were not dark colored, but rather pale. There were pretty patterns on his arms. His eyes were brown and glittering with laughter, although they held a tinge of his usual serious aura.

He was looking tenderly down at a turtle. He was speaking to the turtle, and the turtle seemed to understand him. She turned her head and frowned as the turtle made it's way back into the mansion. She didn't know turtles could talk to humans. She didn't know turtles moved that quickly either, as the Enzo turtle was in the mansion in a matter of mere minutes.

Her ankle throbbed with pain, and her insides were twisting with conflicting emotions.

_Stay a while longer, Dino. I want to see your face clearly, without these leaves obstructing my vision. I want you to stay and notice me, and help me. _

_Leave, Dino. I don't want you to discover me. A nameless creature hidden in your bushes, injured and pathetic. I want you to go back to whatever you were doing and forget about anything that had happened this past morning. I'll go back to my forest and you can go on living as a human._

_Our worlds would never meet._

* * *

After apologizing profusely to the gardener, Dino was finally relieved of the tongue-lashing he had just received. Although he was the boss of this Family, he treated all his subordinates as equals and had told them that if they felt he had done something wrong, don't hesitate to chide him. Apparently, some of them took the advice to heart, and Dino smiled. It was better this way. More like a real family. He would've been even more uncomfortable if the man had tried to take the blame upon himself or something equally stupid.

And then he felt it again. Someone was watching him.

He whirled anxiously, this time not daring to make a sound. It wasn't his water-loving turtle, for Enzo had safely returned into the mansion and would probably not bother coming out later.

Silently, he observed his surroundings, just as Reborn had taught him to do so. The trees swayed gently in the morning breeze, and just off to his right, the pond rippled with fish. Nothing seemed amiss; there were no death intents or sudden movements. Stillness settled over the surroundings, and yet Dino was absolutely, completely certain that there was something watching his every movement.

And then he turned to the bushes.

_Is it just me, or is there a mop of black hair behind the bush?_ The ribbons on it were skewed, and one of the ornamental roses is missing.

Oh, the gardeners were going to _kill him. _

* * *

She held her breath as Dino actually looked her way. Was it a result of her wishful thinking? Did he hear her thoughts?

"Come out." He called. She gripped the cold soil with her fingers in shock. Dino called out to her! He was inviting her to reveal herself!

Should she comply?

"Come out, or I'll have someone throw you out." Dino stated calmly. There was no sense of humor in his voice now; rather, it was dancing on the edge between annoyance and outright anger. Dino had come to the conclusion that someone had tried to sabotage the place so that the Cavallone reputation would be ruined. This would be an effective way of putting a blemish on a Famiglia's otherwise clear records, but what irritated him the most was that someone would even stoop so low just because of petty jealousy.

"Come on _out. _My patience is running thin!" The forced steel in his voice scared her, and with great difficulty she pulled herself from the undergrowth.

With a gasp of relief, her legs came free of the sunlight. She stayed huddled in the shadows of the bush, hoping that Dino wouldn't forcefully drag her out into the bright rays. But she was so..._captivated _by his very being and voice. It was bordering the obsession that she felt when she was hungry beyond reason. She wanted to touch his arm or leg or something, just to see if he was real. He was actually standing in front of her! And there was a...untouchable beauty about him that made her want to recoil and think twice.

She really should've stayed with her observer role. Now, everything was shot to pieces.

Dino, on the other hand, was honestly not expecting a filthy looking girl to crawl out of the undergrowth. She looked to be about a few years younger than him, but it was hard to tell with the innocent gleam in her eyes.

The girl...no. The woman in front of him had long, black hair. It spread around her in waves, overlapping and curling. The ends of her hair were frayed and unkempt, tangled with twigs, leaves and bits of crumbly brown soil, as if she had dragged it around on the ground. With her current position, Dino wouldn't be surprised. She looked like she hadn't had a haircut in _years._ She was wearing a dirty, black shirt that was way too big for her and already ripped in many places, giving him glimpses of pale skin. Her eyes were grey and flickering with doubt. It reminded him of the movement of liquid mercury, and there was a certain sharpness to it that reminded him of Kyoya. She was quite tall in stature; Dino estimated that if she stood up, she would probably come up to his chin level, which was already quite tall for most women. She looked thin and graceful, like a spider poised to strike, but at the same time so vulnerable that Dino wanted to...

_...Wanted to what?_

"Name, status, Family." He ordered coldly, watching warily as she sat up and regarded him with guarded yet clueless eyes.

"N-name...what?" She replied. Her voice was soft, confused. The words came out of her mouth twisted, warbled, as if she didn't really know how to speak at all.

"I'm not going to repeat myself. You heard me, didn't you?" It twisted Dino's heart to have to act so coldly, but this was the way he dealt with any of his potential wife wannabes. He knew that if he didn't set up a successful defense right now, he would only get hurt later...as it had been the case with a certain someone of his past. Right now, all he wanted was a life without girls trying to stalk him or force his hand in marriage. He wanted to find the woman he would come to love without being pressured.

"Don't act dumb. Just answer me."

Her dream meeting was going all wrong. Dino was being mean, and he had yet to smile at her like she had expected him to. Heck, he had been more tender and accepting to the turtle he had been talking to earlier!

Her heart hurt. Her stomach growled. Her ankle throbbed.

Dino was losing his patience rapidly, which was surprising even for him. This filthy..._thing _had literally crawled to his doorstep and was now expecting him to take her in or something? Try someone else! He wanted to tell her. He was sure of it now; she must be a stalker who had been trying to catch a glimpse of him for many nights. This explains the abnormal pressure readings on the wall at night. He glared at her in disgust. Just how far will these families go in selling their daughters? Can't they just get the message and leave him alone?

She really did recoil when Dino's sharp glare caught her gaze. Her heart pounded with anxiety. She wanted nothing more than to dart back to the safety of her forest. She wouldn't even care if there was a dangerous intruder in the forests' leafy depths. Whatever that intruder would do to her was nothing compared to what Dino was doing to her heart right now with just words as weapons.

Dino reached for her hand suddenly, wanting to drag her into the mansion and hand her over to Romario. If she wasn't willing to reveal which family she was from, he would have them score the databases for her, and then cut off all ties from the family. It was a disgustingly dirty trick, sending a _stalker _of all people...

But before he could even touch her hand, she drew back into the shadows with incredible speed.

He heard a growl, and Dino looked on incredulously, frozen in her stare. The grey eyes were shifting, glowing almost. Shards of gold pierced her silver eyes and she opened her mouth.

There, glinting in the early morning sunlight. A pair of _fangs._

And then she struck, her teeth latching onto the side of Dino's neck.

Dino's blood flowed thickly into her mouth.

* * *

A/N: My story got buried underneath all the Christmas specials that are getting written, but never fear! I have written like, 3 chapters ahead in advance, so I'm updating again.

Please review, everyone! It will seriously mean a lot to me...pleaseaslknflakwenf *kowtows* Yes, I've resorted to begging.

Please, guys?


	3. Chapter 2: To Be Human

Don't own anything, except plot and original character. Enjoy~

* * *

The side of his whip lashed into her face and she fell back with an animalistic cry.

She scurried back into the shadows and huddled there, eyes now back to the normal grey, shifting with worry, confusing, wariness and pain. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and seemed surprised to see that there were traces of crimson liquid spotting her skin. As if she couldn't help it, her tongue flickered out and lapped up the remaining traces of his blood.

Dino was in a state of shock. There were two puncture wounds in the side of his neck, and he pressed his finger there gingerly. It didn't hurt in the slightest. Rather, he was just shocked that he had just gotten attacked. There was absolutely no killing intent coming from her, even though she had literally just bitten him.

_Bitten him? _He couldn't help it. The incredible situation was just too hard for him to process. Dino ran one hand through his hair, letting out a hearty laugh.

"Are you some Hibari Kyoya fan, then? Did you really want to 'bite me to death'? Well, sorry, but Hibari's not here yet. Wait until I tell him though...you must really be desperate!" He let out another low chuckle.

"Great prank. You really got me too! But now you can get out of the role, and just relax. Go inside and clean yourself up, maybe Romario will find you a dress before the party starts." He trailed off when he saw her vacant eyes.

"Oi, are you listening to me at all?"

"Y..Your blood tastes really good." She replied in that soft, whispered voice of hers.

Dino laughed nervously. "You didn't really...drink my blood, did you?"

"I did." There was more confidence in her speech now, and she turned to face him with a steady gaze. "I really liked the uh...the taste of it. May I please have some more? I'm not quite full yet so..." She stared hopefully at him.

_Some more what? Some more of my blood? This woman has gone insane!_

"Well...uhh..." All coherent thought flew out of his head as she leaned forward and gently stroked his cheek with one hand. Her other hand came up to hold his face firmly as she pulled him towards her lips. No, her lips were going to his neck.

It was gentler this time, and Dino was quite literally too shocked to do anything as her teeth sank into the soft flesh of his neck. Her tongue flicked around the area, licking up any stray drops that slipped out of the wound. Involuntarily, he let out a soft moan. He...she was...his sensitive spot...His hands moved on their own, wrapping around her lower back and pulling her closer. His head spun, but she had him in an iron grip. He wasn't going to be escaping her hold any time soon.

"Boss...BOSS!"

* * *

"It really isn't what you think, Romario! She came out of the bushes like some savage animal and then started sucking my blood! Seriously, I think she's a vampire. But she can speak. Wha-..."

Romario chuckled. "I think you're just in denial, boss. You had a look of profound happiness upon your face when she was in your arms. Are you sure you don't know who she is? Perhaps you were having a secret relationship behind my back all this time? Shame, Boss! I've been by your side for how many years now..."

"R..Romario! Really, did you see the state of her clothes? Why would I ever...fall for someone like that! She looks like a savage...I don't know, something! A beast!" Dino stuttered his protests, but they fell on deaf ears as Romario merely chuckled knowingly, patting his back and murmuring something like _'It's about time'_.

Finally, he gave up and chased his right hand man out of the room so that he could get changed. The day had gone by surprisingly quickly after he brought the strange woman back into the house with him. She was now being fussed over by the maids, and they were probably trying all sorts of outfits on her. Unfortunately for him, she had been designated his dance partner for the night, partly so that Dino could keep away the hordes of 'future wife prospects' that were bound to arrive, and partly to uphold the image of a continuing Cavallone lineage. What better way than to secure an image of a couple?

Dino sighed. It was just his luck. Now he would have to face the consequences.

The side of his neck tingled as he struggled with his tie.

* * *

"Alright, sweetheart. Let's see what we can do with you..."

She resisted the urge to bare her teeth. She had to act 'human', something she didn't really understand now that she was up close. When people annoyed each other, don't they just start fighting? She didn't get all the shouting they were doing. Humans moved their mouths too much, and for all the wrong reasons too. There was too much yapping about, and too little biting, in her opinion.

The maids dragged her over to a comfy looking chair, where they sat her down and started running their hands through her hair. Her nails clenched into the cushion of the chair, but none of the three maids heard the silent ripping. After she made quick work of the cushion, cotton-filling spilling out onto the floor, she started wringing the hem of her shirt anxiously. She was unused to human touch and although it didn't bring her any pain, it was uncomfortable and unfamiliar. They tugged at her tangled locks and she snarled lowly in the back of her throat.

Her shoulders were tense and she kept craning her neck back to look at the three women behind her. They tutted as if she was a disobedient child, slowly directing her to face the mirror once more. They were gentle, and that was what stopped her from leaping at their throats too. That, and the fact that she didn't want to forget the taste of Dino's blood in her mouth. Her tongue flicked over her lips quickly as she thought about the sweet liquid that had flowed out of his mouth. Truthfully, Dino's blood didn't taste any more special than the other blood she had drank from the wandering humans. He did have his own distinct taste, but it was neither stronger nor tastier than the others she had tasted. No matter how she tried to imagine that he was of unique blood, he simply didn't taste better than anyone else, and that was a fact that puzzled her. If he didn't taste any better, then why did she have the urge to go back and bite him again, even though she's full already? Perhaps it was her predatory nature, urging her to finish her prey off. If that was the case, then...

Bringing her arm up, she bit deep into her flesh and closed her eyes. The tasteless blood flowed into her mouth once more, washing away the tang of Dino's life liquid. The women at the dressing table gasped.

"Oh, sweetie, you must really be hungry! Why didn't you tell us, hmm~ Now dear, just wait here a sec. I'll ask Maid Lucia to go get you something to eat, alright, honey? Just stop biting yourself now, that's a good dear." One of the braver ladies decided to pull her arm away, and she immediately snapped her mouth closed, so that they wouldn't see her fangs.

One woman bustled off, cheerily. She cast a curious glance at the faces of the other two. They looked shocked, but not disgusted, which was certainly a change from how Dino looked at her. Just what kind of people were they used to dealing with? They returned her stare with wide-eyed glances of their own, before deciding to go back to her hair. After running their hands through the midnight locks a few more times, they tutted at the amount of grime and soil they pulled out of her hair in big chunks.

"I'll go run a bath. You work on getting some of those tangles out."

Another maid was gone, disappearing through a door near the back of the room. She watched her go with curious eyes before turning to the remaining maid. She was the youngest of the three, and probably the most inexperienced as well. Her hands trembled as she combed them through the vampire's hair. "Y..You really do have dirty hair. W..wh- I didn't mean to be rude with that statement, please don't take it the wrong way! I want...wanted to say was...well, I wanted to ask how you got so much dirt into your hair." She stilled her movements and waited for a reply of some sort. When none came, she seemed almost disappointed.

The vampire gave her an amused glance before making a sound of approval. "You're a kind woman." She finally said.

"E..Eh? No, not really, I'm just doing my job."

"Your hands are gentle." The vampire rebuked crossly. It wasn't every day that a human challenges her view on something. She was just simply stating the obvious.

The woman giggles before picking up a comb, tackling some of the tougher curls at the bottom. She sighed as large clumps of red soil fell out of her hair and crumbled onto the wooden floor. Someone would have to clean that up later, and it was probably going to be her. She sighed once more, rather good-naturedly this time, before tapping the vampire on her shoulder. "I'm going to lead you to the bathroom now. You really need to bathe and get that..." Here she wrinkled her nose slightly "You have a weird smell about you, but don't worry, that can be easily taken care of. Before we do anything else...what's your name? I'm Helena, but I guess you should call me Maid Helena because..."

"I don't have a name." The vampire cut her off cleanly. She seemed almost proud of the fact, but truthfully, she wasn't.

* * *

She decided that the human world would take some time getting used to. The bathrooms were peculiar. There was a weird nozzle thing hanging from the wall that poured water down her hair. After standing under the spray for a few seconds, she almost jumped right out and ran out of the bathroom. She decided that she hated the thing with a great passion. It was like standing underneath a waterfall, but at the same time, the water that came out of the nozzle was lukewarm. When she opened her mouth to taste it, it didn't taste like blood at all. It just tasted like...lukewarm water. She didn't like that. It felt unnatural. And the fact that the water drummed onto her skull in thick streams...it numbed her senses and she couldn't hear what she was thinking. Just the fact that she had no control over her own thoughts cast her into a state of panic.

The maids scrambled to keep her inside the bathtub as she wailed and struggled. They were all perplexed as to what kind of creature Dino had dragged into the castle. They had to deal with other, slightly less sane women before, but none have tried to actually escape or bite themselves. This woman was acting like an animal! And also, there was the fact that she apparently had no name.

"Maybe it's just...she doesn't want us to know what Family she belongs to? Perhaps she's pretty well known? It would also explain why Master Dino would want to hide her until later on. Another well known and influential woman from the Mafia under the same roof as Master Dino for no apparent reason is a dangerous thing to know."

The vampire had stilled for most of the conversation, listening silently as the three women gently massaged shampoo and conditioner into her hair. Their voices were softened into what they hoped was an undetectable whisper, and when they wanted to tell each other something, they leaned back slightly so that she wouldn't hear. But she caught every single word without trouble, and their conversation interested her. What did they mean from a different _family?_ Did Dino have a big family? Was everyone here his cousins or something? And what exactly was the Mafia?

The maids then decided it was time to rinse the soap off her midnight locks, now clean and relatively untangled. To her amazement, a maid reached up and actually _ripped the nozzle off the wall_. It came free without a noise of protest! When she had tried to pull it off in annoyance, it hadn't budged! It was from then on that she decided she better not struggle against the three maids. They were evidently stronger than she was.

* * *

Standing unsteadily on her ankle, she hobbled over to the mirror and gave her reflection a skeptical once over. They maids were all kindhearted but scary in their determination to 'clean her up and get her tidy'. They had fed her and clothed her, and she supposed her appearance was more acceptable to them now, although she was kind of iffy about the movement constricting dress they had forced her into.

Her hair had been washed and combed neatly, and it now fell to her back in curly, fragrant waves. They had given it a trim, much to her displeasure, although she was soothed when she felt no pain from the silver implements they used to cut her hair with. The maids had even brought in a beautiful hairclip to complete the look, stating that she was to wear it later when she had to meet up with Dino. She had given it one disinterested look before going back to playing with her new hairstyle.

They had given her a dark red dress to wear. It flowed down to the floor, and she was constantly tripping over the hem of it. They said it accentuated her hair nicely, but she would much rather have a plain black dress to wear. They also gave her a pair of high heels, but she refused to put them on and when the giggling maids tried to force her to into them, she had warily bared her fangs at them. That shocked them into relative silence, but they were fearless in the face of her anger. Soon, they had continued their conversations, chattering about the many of the 'hot guys' that were sure to show up at the party this evening. The name 'Vongola' was mentioned several times. She didn't know anything about this 'Vongola' person and had no intention of finding out.

Truthfully, her mind was full of Dino.

She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but it wasn't hard with her hearing capabilities. She had heard every word of Dino's conversation with Romario, and although she has yet to decipher most of it, she understood enough.

The way he had described her just now...did he really mean that? Was she just a savage creature in his eyes? She could understand where his line of thought came from. She had all but attacked him to drink his blood, but she had been _hungry_ and her hunger should never be ignored. Still, it hurt whenever she thought about how angry Dino had looked. Her mind wandered to when Dino held her gently as she took the life force right out of his neck, to the soft noise he made when she was drinking from him...

She blushed.

_If this is what they call love, then I would like to have a taste of it. _But there was no time to go about experimenting and finding Dino now.

"Miss, I've been sent here to teach you how to dance?" She turned her molten silver eyes to the newcomer before nodding and stepping unsteadily towards her once more. Her ankle shouldn't be bothering her this much, but for some reason the wound had just gotten worse. The maids had given her some cream for it, and that took most of the burning out of it, but still there was something wrong. She couldn't find her balance anymore.

Dancing was going to be tough, but she was willing to learn. Anything to become more human.

* * *

"And a step, one, two, three..." The dancing instructor tapped her foot against the floor impatiently as the woman in front of her tripped yet again. There was something wrong with her posture. Something wrong with her movements. She had the potential to be graceful, but she was tripping over herself as if she had no idea how to dance. Even a beginner wouldn't do so badly! It was as if she was messing around, as if she didn't want to dance at all.

The vampire's mouth twisted unhappily. She could sense the other woman's frustration, in the way she shouted and raved, in the way she tapped her foot against the floor, in the way she brought her hand down on her cheek many times in effort to make her get her moves correct.

After a while, she sighed and gave up completely, flitting out of the room in search of Dino. She could hear the woman shouting behind her, but her shouts faded away into the distance, shoved into the darker recesses of her mind. She didn't care about anyone else's opinions, except Dino's of course. But one part of her knew that perhaps she should've tried harder. It wasn't hard for her to learn something, it was just hard for her to deem something important enough to learn. So far, all she had was her uncanny speed, hearing and smell, and fangs. But sometimes, like right now, she wished with all her heart that she was born human and not vampire. It would've been so much easier to deal with her newfound love.

* * *

Three sharp knocks at his door informed him of a visitor. Dino stumbled over his chair in his haste to get to the door, his tie still dangling half-heartedly from his neck. As soon as he pulled the door open, he was sent flying back across the room, where he collapsed painfully against the door to the balcony. He sighed, already used to such pain, and slowly dragged himself upright.

"Hey, Kyoya. Phew, what a greeting!" Dino grunted slightly as the pain finally hit him, making him double over and wheeze slightly.

Hibari regarded his tutor with something close to distaste in his steel grey eyes. Contrary to the popular belief, Hibari didn't exactly _hate _Dino Cavallone; the man had proved to be a worthy opponent on more than one occasion, and to Hibari that was all he needed. Most of the time, Hibari wondered why he had such an idiot for a tutor, and was just seriously contemplating how to bite Dino to death without damaging any more of his brain cells so that he would still be able to stand in a fight later on.

"You forgot that I was coming." He stated calmly, making Dino wince at the ice in his tone.

"K...Kyoya, you see, I met a vampire in the garden. She bit me."

"_I'll bite you to death._"

"N..No not like that...she just..."

As if on cue, the door swung open. Hibari whirled around, ready to face the new intruder with his irritated manner, but he faltered in his step when he saw that it was a woman who stepped through the doorway. She walked gracefully, though there was a slight limp in her right leg. There was an aura coming off her that interested him and caused a spike in his bloodlust. He raised his tonfas once more. He wouldn't mind biting her to death either, even though it was his personal rule not to injure any female too badly. Mainly because Hibari had yet to come across a female herbivore who could match up to his strength and speed, aside from the Rain Arcobaleno and the pink haired cooking demon in her fits of rage.

But this woman...was interesting. She wasn't backing down, even when she caught sight of Hibari's tonfas. There was an unrecognizable expression in her eyes as she turned to regard Hibari with a cool and collected air.

It was like looking into a mirror. Hibari found himself face to face with a smirk much like his own predatory glare.

"K..Kyoya, wait a second, come on now, you wouldn't hit a lady right? Ahahah~ Speak of the devil...not that you're a devil, er, I mean I was just telling Kyoya here about how I met you in the garden..."

"She's the vampire?"

Dino hiccupped in fear. "Wait, Kyoya, come on, let's be reasonable here..."

"I'll bite her to _death_."

"Don't say the word 'bite', Kyoya! You're giving her the wrong ideas!" Dino's protests were ignored as Hibari charged straight at her. There was something about the way she carried herself that electrified his very being, as if he had finally met someone worth biting to death. The bloodlust inside him raged and boiled. He wanted to spill her blood.

There was a flicker of movement, and then it was all over. A weary stalemate between two predators. She had her teeth lightly scraping the skin of his neck, and he had his tonfa pressed firmly against her stomach. If she so much as moved, he would release the spikes and it would dig into her flesh, but if he so much as moved, she would let her teeth sink down into his veins and she would drain him dry. With the position they were in, they almost looked like two dancers caught in the middle of an elaborate waltz, frozen in the middle of a twirl. Her red dress settled slowly around her ankles once more and Hibari clenched his fist tighter around his weapon.

Hibari's eyes narrowed. This woman had great potential and even greater speed, but she lacked the conviction in her actions. Even now, he could feel the slight trembling of her teeth. She seemed locked in a battle with herself. She had sloppy control, and almost no discipline. Hibari's lip curled. Maybe he could teach her a thing or two about that.

"Stop, both of you, stop!" Dino finally regained his senses and forcibly ripped the two apart from each other.

"_Wao._" If it came down to the worse scenario, she would only maim, not kill. She lacked the resolution to kill, and that was disappointing. However, her speed had caught him by surprise. For a while, Hibari could only replay the scene in his mind over and over, analyzing her movements. He had just about been able to catch her movements before his instincts had taken over and screamed at him to move before thinking.

"You're not biting Dino. He's my prey." The strange woman spoke.

Hibari smirked. "I found him first. Fight me for him."

"Woah, hey guys, let's not fight over me! I know I look pretty good right now but still..." Dino chuckled weakly at his own joke.

"Hn. I'll be the one to truly bite you to death, Dino Cavallone." Hibari replied after a while.

"You don't look that good, but you taste good, Dino." The woman stated earnestly as if it was a perfectly normal thing to say.

Dino groaned. "Both of you get out. I have to fix my tie. The party's going to start in a few minutes, and I haven't had the time to properly tie a knot..." Without a word, Hibari strode over and grabbed the offending garment. Quickly knotting it into a tie, he shoved Dino roughly out the door before glaring at the woman and following Dino downstairs.

* * *

"Cavallone, who was that?"

"The vampire I met in the garden." Dino answered wearily. Hibari had been driven out to the corners of the room because of his hate for crowds. The woman Hibari had fought just a few minutes prior was now at the dinner table, staring at the assortments of food as if she had never seen such things before. Hibari snorted as she picked at the spaghetti with her hand, plucking a meatball right out of the plate and sinking her teeth into it.

Sinking her _fangs _into it. Hibari smirked as he touched the right side of his neck. The little scrape was still there. The woman had incredibly sharp teeth. Almost inhumanely sharp teeth.

"Listen, Kyoya. Don't laugh when I tell you this, okay? I really think she's the real deal. This morning, she...attacked me and sucked my blood! She actually bit me!" Dino showed Hibari the puncture wounds in his neck. The younger male said nothing, merely sipping from his cup of warm tea. His eyes were fixed on the woman across the room, and for a second, Dino felt a flare of something negative shoot through his chest. _Jealousy? No, it couldn't be. _

"Want to dance, Kyoya? Go find a partner or something." _Anybody but her. _

"I'm not interested in such herbivorous activities, Bucking Bronco."

"Fine. I'll go then." Dino adjusted his a-little-too-tight tie and started advancing towards the food table. He grimaced when a gruesome sight met his eyes. There was food all over his 'dance partner'. On her hands and her face, and she was obviously not using any utensils to eat at all. She had a satisfied grin on her face. The guests around her had started shying away from her, the women muttering about hygiene and table manners, and the men cursing her for getting their suits dirty. Nevertheless, she seemed oblivious to their annoyance and continued to pick at the food with her hands as if it was natural to be doing so.

"Hey, hey, stop that." Dino grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the table, turning her to face him.

She looked like a child about to be scolded. The smile slipped of her face quickly as she realized she was in deep trouble. What for, she didn't quite understand. When she looked down at her hands, she realized that she had gotten them dirty and tried to wipe them on her dress, a disaster Dino quickly averted by grabbing her hands and using a napkin to wipe the food off it. He then took the napkin and gently wiped at the edges of her mouth before turning her in the direction of the bathroom.

Dino was stressed and strung out with all the guests he had to tend to. Although he really had no intention of being mean, he still felt that his evening would've gone a lot smoother without the vampire's presence. Stress spoke for him. "Go clean yourself up, and then I'll show you out. Do you really have no notion of eating with utensils or something? Honestly, you can drop the act of stalker barbarian act now, if you want. You've gotten my attention, but I can't say I'm impressed with what you're doing. If you're really so desperate as to try and sabotage my birthday party as well, then I would like to ask you to leave. It was nice knowing you...well...I can't really say..." He scratched the back of his neck, looking anywhere but into her eyes. "I'm kind of glad we met, but nonetheless we should part here. You should just go back to wherever you came from. I'm sure your Family is waiting for you to return."

He pulled a pin from his tie and shoved it into her hands. "Here, this can be a peace offering. Tell them that not much harm was done in your visit, so..."

"I'm a vampire, Dino. You said you believed in them too. I heard you talking to the Hibari person." She protested softly. The implications finally hit her. Dino was sending her away. He was telling her to go back into the forest and never come back. He wanted her gone. She should've never tried to integrate herself into his world.

She glanced around hurriedly, noting the elegant way the other guests handled the fork and the knife, the way the ladies gracefully balanced a flute of champagne in their delicate hands. She mimicked their actions and looked to Dino pleadingly, but he just refused to look into her eyes anymore. "Please, Dino, I can learn. I've never been to these kinds of things, so I don't know..." The pain in her chest was quite unbearable by now.

Dino sighed and ran his hand through his golden, tousled mop of hair. "I don't know you all that well, and I probably don't know your Family well either. Honestly, I would just like to...to...just listen to me. I'm not saying you're unwanted or anything, but I don't know your name..."

"I don't have a name, Dino! B...but you can give me one...Naming a vampire should be a big honor, right?" She didn't know how to beg properly. Her pleas sounded emotionless and flat, as if she was forcing them out and reading from a script. It sounded more like a demand than a request. Confusion and hurt flashed across her face. Was he not hearing her properly? Was she not speaking her thoughts coherently? Did she use the wrong words to present her feelings? The disappointment and pain was clearly noticeable on her face, if only Dino would look at her one last time, maybe he would understand.

"Come on, I'll walk you out. Where's your jacket? Do you have one? You can borrow mine..."

He slung the jacket over her shoulders and started leading her to the door. She could've struggled against his grip and refuse to leave, but she knew that the fun had already passed. She knew that there was nothing she could do to save the situation now, because Dino truly didn't know her and he really didn't want her here anymore. She was crying inside, but she refused to let the tears come to the surface, because then Dino would think even worse of her and she would probably not be able to come back, ever. At least now, she still had some hope, although she seriously doubted that Dino would open the door for her if she ever came back and knocked on it.

"Can I please kiss you goodbye, Dino?" _You only know me today, but I've known you forever. _

Dino faltered in his step and turned to look at her. "F-fine. I don't see anything particularly wrong with that, since it's customary for most women anyway..." He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek, but before he could do that, she slanted her head and kissed him instead.

On the mouth.

Dino tripped since he couldn't really see where he was going, and to steady himself, he pressed his hand against the wall. A cheer went up around them, and Dino was horrified. Now, what would everyone think? He hurriedly pushed her away from him and drew the back of his hand over his lips as if the mere taste of her horrified him. In that brief kiss, his tongue had brushed against her teeth and he had felt the sharpness of her fangs against the soft muscle of his tongue. To put it frankly, he felt disgusted that he was kissing something not even human.

Face burning, he grabbed her arm and firmly let her out of the mansion, shutting the door in her face.

* * *

"Did you see that? Someone was kissing Dino! The Dino Cavallone!"

"Oh gosh, imagine the fury of the women who want to be his wife! They're going to _kill _her!"

"Ne, ne, it was supposed to be a goodbye kiss too! She just suddenly grabbed him and kissed him on the mouth! I kind of admire her honesty and stuff, none of that round the bush flirting, but I really wouldn't want to be in her position right now."

"It's alright, guys, Dino apparently hates her for ruining his bush or something. He just threw her out, remember?"

"Oh, goodie! Then that means I still have a chance, right? Do you think he'll notice me?"

Sometimes she wished she could stop her super hearing. She wished she could just 'turn it off' or something so that she wouldn't have to continue hearing the hurtful things directed at her. Words floated into her ears, adjectives like 'barbarian' and 'slut' and 'stupid bitch' used to describe her. Although she didn't know what half of them meant, she knew that they were negative. But what's worse is that Dino didn't even acknowledge that there were people insulting her. He didn't defend her at all, even when people openly asked about whom Dino had been kissing. He dismissed their questions and continued the party as if she had never existed. He just chatted right on with different women, discussing all sorts of topics with them as if they were old friends, even though truthfully Dino knew some of the women for only a couple of hours, as compared to knowing her for a whole day. This was the difference between a human and a vampire, right?

She stood outside the gates until the first guests had started to leave. They gave her weird looks.

"Quite shameless, isn't she? Standing out here? Although I do admire her determination, my dear Dino would never fall for someone as stupid and clueless as her. Doesn't she get that she isn't wanted around here anymore?" Giggles, laughter, secretive smirks directed at her. She backed away a few steps, but stood her ground for a while longer.

"She isn't even pretty! Look at her hair. It's all tangled and disgusting at the end. Oh God, there's even food in it! That's _gross!_" Back away even further. A few more steps at a time. Their words drove stakes into her heart.

"Did you see the way she was eating at the dinner table? Scratch that, she was _eating the table itself!_ I swear: someone saw her gnaw at the tablecloth like she thought it could be eaten. We were having a laugh out of it too. You know, it was so incredible that we thought she was the hired comedian for a moment, but the fun stopped when she started sticking her dirty fingers into other people's food as well. All the time, she was goggling at us like an idiot. _Freak_." They weren't even trying to hide the contempt in their voices anymore, openly directing phrases at her and giving her weird looks.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

It was better if she stuck to the safety of her forest. At least, nature had accepted her with open arms.

* * *

Dino watched as she darted in the general direction of the forest, frowning when she leapt over the brick fence unsteadily, her leg catching on the edge and twisting painfully. His eyes widened in surprise. She actually _lived _there? Is that why she came to the mansion? She was probably just seeking some form of shelter. He felt a flare of guilt. Perhaps he was just too stressed. He had been too harsh on her. Before he knew it, he was following her into the depths of the forest. He heard alarmed shouts of 'Boss!' but he paid them no heed. What kind of boss was he if he didn't extend his hospitality to people who needed him? Dino sighed and cursed his own kindness. There were times when he just didn't know how to let things go.

For all he knew, she could be luring him into the forest so that she could suck him dry.

Dino stopped. So that's what happened to the people who were found with dried-out corpses in this area! It's been years since the last body has been discovered; so he had no idea...he didn't connect those events with the current situation.

Dino pulled his whip out and narrowed his eyes.

Maybe it was better this way. Maybe he should put an end to her life, and ensure the safety of his Family members.

Maybe it was meant to be this way.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to **xkaiistarx,** **RainyDaes, xXxMentalPancakesxXx, Guest, kimichee **and **usagi grecia desu **for your lovely, wonderful reviews. You guys really motivated me to upload this chapter earlier than I was planning to!

I'm going to change the humor genre to supernatural or drama, alright. Although there will be random humorous moments, it's starting to become seriously plot driven (the next chapter at least. Yes, I've finished writing it. :3).

Questions, comments, critiques? Please review!


	4. Chapter 3: Intrusive Instincts

_The forest was deathly quiet._

_She sat at the base of her favorite tree, a few hundred meters deep into the forest's depths. Her eyes were closed, and only the steady rise and fall of her chest betrayed the fact that she was still alive. Her hand curled limply at her side, and she didn't have the strength to lift it either. Her black hair fell across her eyes messily, covering her frowning expression. The dress she wore still had remnants of the food stains from the disastrous party she attended last week._

_The corpse of a human being lies at her feet. _

* * *

Dino had long since given up on looking for the mysterious woman. Ever since that day at the party, she had raced off into the forest. The initial anger Dino had felt once he realized that she was the culprit behind all the killings in the small Italian town he lived in had ebbed away slowly with the passing days, and soon work overtook his mind again and he forgot about her incriminating presence in the forest. As long as she didn't touch any of his men, he was going to be fine.

"Master Dino, someone has come to see you. Would you like me to let him in immediately or..."

"Tell him to wait a moment, please. I have so many documents to sign right now that I can't afford to break my concentration. I won't be long, just around five minutes." Dino rubbed his temple with his finger, a headache forming. All morning, there had been nothing but complaints of attacks coming from other allied famiglias. The attacks reached as far as the Asian region, and he had to transfer some of them over to the Vongola to be taken care of. At least Kyoya was on the case, Dino mused. The problem will soon be resolved with Hibari hot on the criminals' case.

Dino's subordinate bowed respectively before backing out of the room. Not more than a minute has passed before he comes back in, shifting his feet nervously and flicking his gaze between Dino, the desk, the pile of papers Dino has yet to tend to and his own feet.

Dino sighed and put down his pen. "What is it?"

"He insists on seeing you now, Dino."

Dino grumbled choice words under his breath before reluctantly placing his paper to the side and lacing his fingers together. He coughed and then motioned for the man to go fetch his visitor. The man bowed once more and hurried out. Dino's gaze travelled longingly back to the paper. If he could finish this pile, he could be off for the whole day. But no, there had to be constant interruptions. And that was something that he could not put off, apparently.

"Dino-san." The man who strode in was the last person Dino had expected. He leapt to his feet.

"Tsuna! What are you doing here? I thought you had business to take care of in Japan? Not that I don't want you to visit me or anything, I just thought..." Dino trailed off uncertainly as the Vongola Don all but collapsed in the visitor's chair. Tsuna spun around, one hand on his chin, thoughtful gaze turned to the ceiling. From the way his brow was furrowed and his shoulders were tense, Dino knew that something was troubling the brunette a lot. Tsuna sighed and rolled his shoulders in effort to get some of the tension out, and Dino blinked expectantly.

"This is actually about some of the cases that you've just passed over to the Vongola. I came to Italy upon Mukuro's request, because he apparently has a really important lead that he wants both of us to follow up on." Tsuna emphasized the 'both', and for a moment, Dino was silent, admiring the confident young man that sat before him. Reborn's methods were unorthodox alright, but he sure did get the job done. Even at the young age of 19, Tsuna was more than capable of handling the biggest Mafioso family in the world, and he was getting more confident with each day that passed.

Pushing his digressions to one side of his mind, Dino tried to focus on the issue at hand. Something about Mukuro and leads and...the case that he had just passed onto the Vongola.

"Something came up that was similar in each of the victim's cases." Tsuna spoke without wavering. He handed over a manila file containing the pictures of the people who had been attacked in Japan, pictures that Dino had only seen a few days before. He was faced with familiar sights. Pale, relatively unmarked bodies. No deaths. Some of the victims sported bad bruises all along the legs, for which Dino had not been able to account for. All the victims were shaken, but they didn't really remember what had happened. Some of them even downright denied that they had been attacked, which was weird. All of them had started developing psychological problems, the bulk of which were unexplained paranoia or claustrophobia.

"We thought about leaving this case to the police, Tsuna. But this is getting a little bit out of hand. If you realize, there's a pattern where everyone is being attacked. It's all restricted to areas within the territorial regions of our allies. Do you think this is the work of some rising, jealous Famiglia? Or some old, buried one that have suddenly reformed to take back some sort of power?" Even as Dino was suggesting things, throwing them out just to think out loud, he knew that this wasn't it. It was too coordinated to be the attack of a new Famiglia, and no proud, traditional, previously-thought-to-be-annihilated Mafioso Family have stepped up to take the blame. These past weeks at the headquarters had been relatively peaceful too, with little to no skirmishes between Mafioso families, and when there was a small disagreement, it was always solved with diplomatic meetings.

"That's what I thought too, but Mukuro dismissed them without even hearing me out." Tsuna sighed, once more reliving the moments with his difficult and disobedient mist guardian. "In the end though, Mukuro presented a really weird hypothesis, but I think we should still check it out. He's traced the origins of the attacks back to Italy. In fact, right in the forests outside your window, Dino-san. Perhaps we'll find something there."

Dino felt himself going cold. _It can't be her doing, can it? _

_It's impossible. Even though she's a self-proclaimed 'vampire', it would still take days for her to travel through continents. And besides, none of the victims have puncture wounds on their necks. But what if there are more of her? What if there are more vampires in the world?_

_Puncture wounds. _

"Tsuna, what about the victims necks?" Dino asked anxiously. His hand came up to rub his own unconsciously. The feeling approximately one week ago of when she bit him suddenly floated up to his mind, and his fingers sought out the two little imperfections on his otherwise unblemished skin. The puncture wounds were still there, already starting to heal but there nonetheless.

Tsuna could see from the way Dino's eyes lit up that he had stumbled across something important. There was a sense of dread and anticipation coming from the older man, and it was making his hyper intuition tingle unpleasantly. When Dino asked the surprising question, Tsuna almost laughed out loud. Dino was making it sound like there was an attack from _vampires_ or something. He had always known that the man would be more whimsical and imaginative in his way of doing things, but he had never pegged Dino as the fairytale creature type. But then again, Tsuna had never thought Gokudera would believe in UMAs either.

He cast his mind back to when he had personally checked some of the victims. The pictures in front of him helped, and he carefully scoured his eyes across the glossy prints, seeing that Dino was doing the same thing from across him. They lingered on the victim's necks.

"Nope," Dino sighed, slightly relieved. "There's nothing of the sort on their necks."

"Wait, Dino-san." Tsuna was frowning now, tapping the table with his right hand. "I do remember seeing something. I asked about it, but the paramedics have just told me that it was something to do with...with scrapes or something. That's right, I remember now. One of the victims had a cut on their necks. It was really straight, as if it had been cut with a ruler. So, no puncture wounds like vampires, Dino, but there was a mark. I wonder if it's significant though. I mean, it could've happened to anyone. Maybe the victim was someone careless anyway, someone who tripped and got a cut on their neck by accident."

"What was the victim like?" Dino picked up his pen and twirled it half-heartedly. He had never been the detective type: he preferred to stay far away from police cases. But since this affected the people in his territories and that of allied families specifically, he couldn't let this pass so easily.

"It was a man, middle aged. He worked for a banking corporation or something, and he had just gotten fired from a really high position for some sort of corruption. I'm not too clear on it myself; I didn't think background checks were important at the moment. Apparently though, he attempted suicide and tried to hang himself. But before he could complete his actions, his neighbor walked in on him trying to kick the chair out from under him and quickly saved his life, bringing him to the nearest psychiatrist. That part I read in the newspaper. His suicide attempt was one week before he got attacked. Do you think that has any significance?"

"Who knows, Tsuna? Who knows..." Dino's mind was already on something else. He should probably give Kyoya a call.

* * *

"What."

"Hey, Kyoya, it's me."

"What do you want."

It was strange to hear the silence from the other end, Hibari Kyoya thought. Usually, the idiotic herbivore would try to fill their conversation with disgustingly mundane topics. Now that the Bucking Bronco has finally decided to get serious about this topic, it felt weird. Hibari wanted to hang up.

"Well, do you remember the vampire you encountered the other day? That woman?" Dino's voice was hesitant on the other day, as if he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his own mouth. When no immediate response came from Hibari, Dino let out a light chuckle. "You know what, never mind Kyoya. I'll go check it out myself..."

"I want to bite her to death." Hibari finally replied. Hibari mulled over the words that Dino had just presented him with.

"No, it's alright Kyoya, ahah..." There came that awkward laughter once more. Hibari could hear Dino shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"Are you scared, Bucking Bronco?" There was a taunt in that statement, one that made Dino want to blanch with embarrassment. Because truth be told, he _is _scared. It's not every day that possible attacks on civilians happen to be from supernatural creatures. And it can't be a coincidence that something happens so suddenly after one is revealed to Dino. And although Dino wasn't one to believe in the supernatural creatures, he hadn't dreamt the whole ordeal because the puncture wounds were still in his neck, and when he cast his mind back, he still shudders to think that he could feel her fangs in her mouth when he 'kissed' her.

* * *

"Jyuudaime, do you mean to say that idiot Dino saw an actual UMA? Why would they show themselves to _him _of all people?" Tsuna sighed as he saw Gokudera pace back and forth jealously, seething with envy. If Gokudera had been an cat, his tail would be lashing from side to side, whipping anyone who came across him.

"Maa, maa, Gokudera. Dino could be mistaken. I don't really think there are things like that in the world, although if they did exist that would still be pretty cool." Yamamoto, always the pacifist, had dived headfirst into the conversation to try and keep aggression at bay. Unfortunately, his words seemed to make Gokudera lash out even more.

"THEY DO EXIST, YAKYUU-BAKA! Just because nobody has ever seen them before..." The silver-haired bomber trailed off into incoherent mutters as he clenches his fist. Tsuna sighed, not knowing whether to laugh along with Yamamoto (who obviously found this whole situation hilarious) or cry in despair for the confusion and stress he was going through right now. He could only pray that Gokudera didn't try to send dynamite through the walls again, because if his right hand did decide to do that, he would be swamped underneath paperwork and payments for another week. Which meant another week with Reborn's supervision.

"G..Gokudera-kun. You know what, why don't we go check it out with Dino-san as well? Maybe the UMA just happened to be living in Italy. You know, maybe the UMAs in Japan are too shy or something, or the other..." The Vongola Don left the part out about how they were actually _in _Italy at the time of the 'UMA' sighting. They just weren't at Dino's estate. That would've just made Gokudera worse, and he was now trying to placate the situation by tempting his science fiction addict of a right hand. Tsuna yelped as Gokudera whirled around with incredible energy. His eyes shone with hope. Yamamoto toppled over himself, slapping the floor and hooting with laughter, although Tsuna really didn't see the humor in this situation. He was being completely serious!

"Really, Jyuudaime? We can really go?"

"Uh..yea, I'll just leave holding the Namimori fort down to Hibari. He's probably not coming anyway." Tsuna gulped at the prospect of negotiating with Hibari, but seeing Gokudera's wide smile and hearing his enthusiastic 'I'll go pack my bags, Jyuudaime!' was all worth it.

For all of Hibari's death glares and unforgiving disciplinary actions, he really did care deep down about his 'Family members'. Or at least that's what Tsuna wanted to believe. It was probably true, because as soon as Tsuna had informed Hibari of their sudden trip to Italy, Hibari had stood and announced that he will be coming along. That had at first sent Tsuna into a stage of silent panic and hyperventilation, (just imagining Hibari stuck on a private jet with Gokudera is enough to give him a full scale asthma attack) but that was quickly cured with Hibari's cold glare of determination.

"There's someone there I want to bite to death." Hibari had told Tsuna.

Tsuna had immediately assumed that Hibari wanted to visit Dino, which meant that the raven-haired guardian did have a heart after all. That thought had given him enough hope of Hibari's 'humane side' that he had even asked Yamamoto to stay back to watch the headquarters, along with Lambo Ryohei and Reborn. Yamamoto had agreed good-naturedly, stating that he had a baseball game to attend anyway.

Oh, how wrong Tsuna was.

* * *

To Hibari, it was all a hunter's game. And as always, he was playing predator.

As soon as he had heard that the culprit of the current crimes might be hiding out in Dino's back woods, he had been considering taking a short side trip to Italy to go catch that 'vampire' woman. Of course, he didn't believe in such myths. Humans are the smartest people on this earth, and the 'vampire' could only be a really strong opponent who also knew how to act innocent. The way she moved, her speed and strength, it meant that although she had assassination potential, she wasn't trained enough to go against the Vongola or the Cavallone guardians and boss. Hibari smirked. Whoever had sent her is too foolish, probably some herbivorous boss who didn't want to get his own hands dirty.

It was only an added bonus that Reborn especially wanted Hibari to be on hand in the Cavallone estate. "There's something wrong up there." Reborn had stated quietly, before personally demanding that Hibari go to Italy to check out the situation as well as 'protect idiot Dino'.

So although he didn't really like the prospect of leaving Namimori attended, nor did the idea of having to spend two whole weeks in a non traditional Japanese setting with a crowd of herbivorous idiots and an equally herbivorous host didn't appeal to him at all, he still went. Now he only had to get through the roughly 12-hour flight, crammed on board a private jet with two other herbivores. Well, he mused, Sawada Tsunayoshi wasn't too bad to interact with.

It was just Gokudera Hayato who is the most troublesome.

* * *

It had been three days before she last fed. Her stomach rumbled angrily, and she quickly silenced it by ingesting some more of her own blood. She was becoming weaker and weaker with each passing day, and her ears had already started to go numb with the lack of blood circulation.

Vampires, contrary to the popular belief, do not need blood to survive. They need blood as an energy source. Vampires were born with only having a set amount of their own blood. Their 'hearts' and 'bone marrow' didn't create any extra cells for them to keep using. Without enough blood, they go into a state of hibernation, almost like a coma, leaving them vulnerable to the elements and to other predators. They need the blood to keep their hearts beating. They have a special function in their bodies to direct the ingested blood into their main blood circulation paths. When not enough blood is available, the vampiric body shuts down and reuses the amount of blood that is already available inside the vampire body, which means that their heart rate and body slows down significantly as limited supply is spread out over the whole body. While they can switch to a human mode of gaining energy through food, many vampires feel that this would dull their hunting senses and so refused to do so, taking only a little bit of human food into their bodies to keep living so they could keep hunting.

The situation became worse when they were injured. Vampires bleed, just as normal humans do. They needed to replenish the lost blood by hunting, so that their bodies would be able to heal themselves. Otherwise, they were left vulnerable.

But human food wasn't available to her either.

It didn't help that the weather was starting to grow colder. The days passed by in a blur, and she could hardly keep track of how long she had sat here helplessly, collapsed underneath her favorite tree. She didn't quite mind the hibernation, for it meant that she could rest. But her mind grew restless with activity, and she longed to move. Soon, she started thinking back, eyes flickering underneath her closed eyelids.

Ten days since she had last seen Dino. Ten days since she had first interacted with humans. Ten days since she had danced and ate human food and gotten over the brick wall, found her courage, spoke actual words, taken a bath, drank Dino's blood. Ten days since he broke her heart.

Her strength sapped, she had little to no fight in her. And what was there to fight for, really? _He _had made it clear that she was not to touch anything in the forest, so she hadn't fed. _He_ made it clear that the forest was no longer her territory that he had taken it over on the very day she decided to leap over the red brick wall. _He_ had made it clear that she was no longer needed here, and that she should just move on. It was almost enough to make her want to stop her own heart. But one thing kept it beating.

The fact that _he_ might attack Dino kept the blood pumping in her veins.

Heaving herself to her feet, she rubbed her eyes. She felt vulnerable with a now human-grade sense of hearing, but that didn't stop her from quickly running in the direction of the entrance of the forest. The shadows danced alongside her, no longer ambivalent about her presence. They seemed to laugh at her, tangle into her long dark locks as if they wanted to draw her into their embrace.

All around, she could hear him whisper into her ears, whisper of her despair. If she was to step foot out of this forest, she would never be allowed back in. But she wanted out. She wanted to see Dino and protect him, even though he probably didn't need her nor want her. Even though she couldn't even protect herself from him.

"Dino, I'm coming to help you." She declared quietly to herself. Her ankle throbbed, a dull, long forgotten pain.

The forest responded with a malicious chuckle.

* * *

Dino rubbed his eyes.

It was yet another sleepless night for him. The clock ticked his insomniac minutes slowly by as he sat up and cracked open a novel, hoping that such a thing would force his eyelids to droop with sheer boredom. Even as his eyes skimmed the words, he couldn't take any information in. His brain felt dead, numbed from a day's work of sorting files, reading information, answering questions and responding to both peace treaties and declarations of war. It was back to business as usual for the Mafioso Don, with troubles far worse than that of the mysterious case. Although it helped Dino to know that help is on the way in the form of Tsuna, Gokudera and Hibari, strangely enough, he still had to keep his own family on his feet. The case didn't even bother him as much. No one was dying, which meant it was far less worrisome than the other situations he had to deal with right now.

Stretching, Dino decided that sleep had well and truly escaped his grasp right now, and that he should just give up. Standing, he slapped the despicable book down onto his bedside table and took to rubbing his head to get rid of his headache. Although he made it a point not to drink alcohol other than when he was at social functions, the dragging night was really fraying the ends of his nerves. He drifted tiredly over to his underused wine storage unit and selected a bottle, pouring himself a small glass. Tossing half of it down his throat, he sat dumbly at his table waiting for the alcohol to hit. And then he felt it.

Someone was watching him.

He cursed angrily, the alcohol pounding through his veins. It was a strong drink and although Dino was usually careful to take stronger drinks in moderate sips, this time he had unintentionally downed half a cup already. Shaking his head, his sense left him and he down the rest in another quick successions of swallows. The world started to spin around him, and his face turned red. Groaning, he slammed his forehead on the table a few times in frustrations.

"Why the fuck does it have to be me? Why couldn't the creepy vampire girl go find someone else to bother?"

The wind whistling through the trees outside his window seemed to agree with him. The trees themselves shivered in anticipation. ...In anticipation of what? Dino wondered. He stretched and stumbled his way over to the window, stubbing his toes along the way and crashing into his bedpost more than once. Even though Dino was quite careful especially when his subordinates were all underneath the same roof, it felt strangely normal to be staggering all over the place.

The cool air will help him a little, Dino reasoned. He stepped out onto his balcony and surveyed the grounds below.

"Leave me alone!" He shouted. He hoped she could hear him. After all, she must be watching him. The feeling of being watched was the same he had felt some ten days ago, when he held his birthday party. The remorse that he had felt for leaving her to slink back to her forest had slowly faded over the days. If she had lived in the forest for so many years already, what difference would a few more years make? Besides, when he had gone into the forest to look for her, she hadn't responded. Dino snorted at the memory.

_The trees clawed at his arms and legs. The undergrowth of this forest was incredibly thick; over the years it had been left to grow freely and it had certainly put that opportunity to good use. _

_Dino cursed as he was sent sprawling over another tree root. He was frustrated, tired and overall cranky from the day's experience. Romario had rung his cell just a few minutes before. Letters had already started coming in from guests who had witnessed the woman eating at the table and causing a disturbance. Dino wondered why Hibari hadn't dragged her off at the time, simply choosing to observe her at a distance. In fact, the skylark had seemed vaguely amused at her barbaric antics, which had infuriated Dino all the more. _

_When he was sent sprawling a third time, Dino finally gave up. The damn forest was too unrelenting to intruders. It was no wonder people didn't like coming into this part of the forest. It made him glad that he had a brick wall built. Come to think of it, Dino wasn't even sure if the brick wall was enough to hold the creatures at bay, seeing as the woman had easily leapt over it. Granted, it was impossible for most humans to just jump it, but many Mafioso could probably do it. He gave himself a mental reminder to up the security around the brick wall perimeters. _

_And then a thought struck him. Was the human world unrelenting to intruders such as the woman? A fresh bout of guilt hit him and he almost turned to dive deeper into the mysterious leafy depths. But another look at the entangled bushes in the way, and he simply gave up, stalking out. _

_Besides, he had been hospitable enough, hadn't he? _

Giving the forest another disgruntled glare, Dino decided to head back to bed. He firmly closed the balcony doors and drew the curtains before crawling underneath the safety of his covers. Even with the white sheets drawn over his bed, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to all those who reviewed the previous chapter! You guys keep the plot bunnies coming :3 **kimichee, xXxMentalPancakesxXx, RainyDaes **and **Anon (Guest).** Thank you to all the favorites, alerts and follows too! It's great to know that so many people are bothering to read my work hahaha~ Love you all *virtual hugs*

**Anon:** You're anonymous, so I can't send you a personal PM ^.^" Thank you ever so much for your encouraging reviews and I'm really honored that you like my writing. You really give me motivation to keep writing!

So I'm starting to develop the plot...Please tell me how you think! Next chapter is already written and ready to be posted too!

OH and I need to name my OC soon. Hmm~ Suggestions, people? I have a name in mind but I'm open to other suggestions as well!


	5. Chapter 4: The Dark Parts of Town

**Warning: **Mild mature implications, though nothing I'm sure you guys can't handle. None-graphic gore alert.

* * *

Tsuna ran one hand through his tousled hair and sighed gratefully as they were led right past the security gates. The people at the airport really did not need to know that of the two people accompanying him, one was carrying metal tonfas and the other was carrying a multitude of dynamites strapped across his body.

It had been a long and hard journey, starting with an explosive argument almost as soon as the two guardians stepped foot on the plane. Gokudera had shouted at Hibari, and Hibari had responded with his usual violent movements. Tsuna had watched on, frozen in both horror and fear, as their brawl had taken them across the whole luxurious main room to the dining room to even the back bathrooms and the bedroom in the far corner of the private aircraft. The flight attendants had all taken refuge in the cockpit up front, refusing to come out. The plane had felt so unsafe that the hired pilot had almost bailed on them, refusing to start the plane until both of them had calmed down enough to stop fighting.

It was only when Hibari swung his tonfa into the cabinet of exquisite in-flight wine that Tsuna had finally snapped. Not only because of the damage, but because they were running severely behind schedule and there were people counting on them to get to the bottom of this mystery. They really needed to get a move on.

So Tsuna had joined the brawl. He had managed to get Gokudera to calm down quickly, with just a few words of command. Hibari was an entirely different story however. The man had claimed that he didn't take orders from herbivores, and so Tsuna had had to give up the whole back half of the private plane before Hibari finally relented, stalking to the back bedroom and slamming the door firmly. They had spent the rest of the flight in almost unbearable tension, with Gokudera sitting stubbornly at the entrance to 'Hibari's lair' with his dynamite unlit but at the ready. Hibari was equally nightmarish. He would sometimes come sweeping out of his room with all the grace and dignity of a lion prowling the perimeter of his territory. He would send taunting smirks at Gokudera, and Gokudera had never been good at keeping his temper in check. The pilot was terrified already as it is, and the situation was just making it worse.

All in all, to say that it had been a hard first leg of the journey was a severe understatement. They had been like two ferocious animals going at each other's throat, which Tsuna secretly thought wasn't too far from the truth. But now that they had touched down and Hibari could finally walk his preferable distance from other sniveling herbivores, everything was quickly calming down. Tsuna thought this was just fine.

They were ushered into a convoy of armored yet visually normal cars to be taken to the Cavallone estate. Gokudera had at first seethed at the lack of an expensive limousine awaiting his precious boss, but when the driver apologetically mentioned that it would be too easy to spot and attack, Gokudera reluctantly backed down. The windows were tinted and bulletproof, and the metallic structure of the car was layered to be able to withstand a barrage of attacks, the man had informed Gokudera.

Hibari was given his own car, to which Tsuna was extremely grateful. It was a good thing Dino-san knew Hibari-san so well, he thought.

The three of them headed towards the Cavallone estate.

* * *

It was cold now, and occasionally, the sky would open up and drench her.

She had literally no possessions except for the clothes on her back, the jacket draped around her and the little pin that Dino had given her. _"Here, this can be a peace offering." _He had told her. She had no idea what a peace offering was, but the pin caught her eye and it had some of Dino's scent still lingering onto it, so she kept it safely tucked into the inside of the jacket pocket. The jacket she kept around her, unwilling to let go of it even for a mere second.

She had escaped the forests without incident, much to her surprise. She would've thought that _he _would've come after her to take her life once and for all, but _he _didn't made a move at all. The mere thought of him made her want to shiver and slip into a nearby shadowed patch for security, but she quickly reminded herself that even the shadows weren't safe anymore. She wondered on, lonely and almost driven out of her mind with the unfamiliarity of her surroundings. Although she had faith in her movements and her strength, she knew that she would be unwanted with the humans if she ever let them know what she truly was. Now that she thought of it this way, perhaps Dino's reaction was already quite lenient towards her. The very thought made her smile sadly. Even though he did chase her away, at least he hadn't gunned her down without hearing her out. Now, she was alive but starved, breathing but lonely and her heart ached badly for the blond haired man. She was sure that he would drive her away if he ever saw her again, but she had set her heart on finding him one last time and warning Dino of the dangers that _he _posed towards the whole community. Then, she would gladly disappear off the face of the earth, if that was what he wanted her to do.

Her stomach rumbled. For the past few days, she had been surviving on the rain falling from the sky, random puddles and streams that she would come across. Sometimes she would hunt, capturing small field mice digging behind the various farmhouses that now dotted the landscape. She had moved on to an area of Italy that was both rural yet cultivated; farmland and wheat made up the most of the hilly landscape. Sometimes she would wander into a vineyard and happily pluck bunches of red fruit off the vines, popping them into her mouth and squishing them against the roof of her mouth with her tongue.

She was always careful to stay out of the way of humans, but she had been spotted once or twice. The humans had dogs that were both ferocious and determined, and some of them had torn into her right calf. The wound had bled a little before scabbing up, but it wasn't healing. She needed blood to heal it properly, and she hadn't had time to seek out a proper meal since she had last drunk from Dino.

She passed many days in the rural countryside before she finally found the main road. Following the main road, she had walked another couple of days before she found herself in the town closest to the Cavallone estate. It was a beautiful town, accompanied with a scenic seaside and many low houses built upon the hillsides. The wind had become refreshing and energizing to her, as it carried many scents. It was coming upon the town that she realized she still had a lot to learn. There were many restaurants, and some of them were labeled differently but they all sold food. Some of them were called 'bakeries' and some called 'cafes'. Some were called 'restaurants', and some were written in names she could neither read nor understand.

"Hey there!" Someone had shouted at her. She had immediately jumped and skittishly sidled into a nearby alleyway. People whistled after her and she felt her cheeks flush. They were all being so friendly, and yet she had nothing to give back.

Some of the people walking along the streets were kind enough to spare the ragged looking girl a few dollars and a fresh loaf of bread. She had regained some of her strength by gnawing on the strange, doughy substance that had been shoved into her hands. The coins she had pocketed, keeping it in the same place as the pocket where she kept Dino's pin. The precious metallic objects were something that she has yet to learn how to use, but the fact that she sees people exchanging other metallic discs for food and clothing gave her hope. She had almost nothing to work on, but she was willing to learn and the people in this town were all incredibly nice and helpful. She wasn't hungry anymore, and even if she did get hungry, she would be able to get something with the coins rattling in her pocket.

She wandered the streets for a while, getting accustomed to the sights and the sounds. Soon, the citizens of the small town got used to her as well. There were even a few people that she learned the names of and greeted everyday.

And then she got lost one day and got cornered by a group of men.

She had always been one to keep to the shadows. She figured that since she was out of the forest, it shouldn't hurt to keep to some of the darker areas of the town, but in those darker corners there lurked other dangers that she had no idea of. So on the day she tried walking the alleyways, she fell right into the hands of some rival Famiglia members to the Cavallone.

The men thought it was their lucky day. Their boss had given them orders to patrol the area and seek out areas that were weaker points of the Cavallone territory defense. Since they had just been taken in from a disbanded thug group, most of them weren't so willing to listen to a newer higher power. They had yet to feel the Mafia's wrath, and they were feeling particularly cocky about their missions. So far, they hadn't committed any outrageous crimes such as rape or murder, but they had been known to drag women off the streets and into the alleyways to harass verbally and scare. They had gotten into bar fights more than once, and they had beaten and mugged a man they thought was a Cavallone subordinate. So when a girl, pretty and wild looking, wandered straight into their territory, they all hooted with joy.

They smelt weird, was her first impression.

Nobody's ever going to miss her, they all thought.

"Hey, sweetie, you look a little lost." One of the men approached her and grabbed her shoulder. She looked at him with dark, bewildered eyes. The men behind him whistled and clapped, looking her up and down. _What a catch. _

"We'll find you a place to stay the night, alright? Don't you want to sleep in a comfortable bed; all warm and out of the weather? Come on, we'll even get you something good to eat, how about that?" That didn't sound too bad in her ears. And besides, she would get to see the interior of a human dwelling! Perhaps that would help her further understand Dino's lifestyle, although she was pretty sure Dino's house was a lot bigger than any of the houses that she could see.

"Come on, girl, we promise we'll treat you well. Just come with us."

She nodded and they all shrieked with laughter. She offered them all a small, shy smile and the men led her away towards the shadier parts of town.

They walked into the red light districts. She glanced around curiously at all the men and women milling around. Some of the women were practically crawling all over their partners. There was a lot of kissing and hugging and suggestive touches and it made her head spin. The scents coming out from some of the houses also gave her an uneasy feeling. The ache in her leg worsened, and she struggled to keep up with the fast pace of the men who held her in their grasp.

"Yo dude, we got you another one. She's pretty willing, and she has a pretty face and a modest figure. We quite literally picked her off the streets, and she looks a little starved and roughed up, so I'm sure nobody will question you if you just take her in without payment, ya know? Since we're feeling nice today, we're even willing to hand her over for free if you let us have the first night." Another man shuffled over. He had multiple piercings in his ears and lips and even one going through his eyebrow. His face was strangely crooked, and although it wasn't too unpleasant to look at, the piercings and the smell coming from his mouth made her recoil in disgust. Nevertheless, her eyes stayed on the piercings that he had going through his flesh, and when he was talking, she tentatively brushed one finger over the glinting object in his ear. Did all humans sometimes have metallic things growing out of their bodies, or was this a human disease?

"Hoh, this one's hot. She'll be liked. Much better than some of the other stock we got, right?" The owner of the weird house cradled her face gently with his hand before reaching down suddenly and yanking the front of her dress loose.

"A bit flat-chested, which is a disappointment." He stated, trailing his finger down her front.

She had been shocked out of her sleepy state with the sudden violence. She responded quickly, slapping his hand out of the way. To her surprise, the man smiled, rubbing his hand. _Did humans not feel pain or something? _"She's feisty though, so that makes up for part of it. She'll do. You guys can have the vacant master bedroom in the back. Have your fun, but take care not to break her."

The men cheered before leading her further down the hall. She was starting to become uneasy; there were weird noises of what sounded like pain coming from the other doors. Was this a place used for torture? Her nose detected traces of blood, and that was when she all but snapped. Her arms stiffened, and the men had to drag her down the hallway quite roughly. Her senses were going haywire.

They threw her roughly onto the bed. One man approached her and grabbed her waist with one hand, pinning her down. The other hand went for her thigh. "Take care, he says. She's probably a virgin too. We won't be too rough tonight..." He cackled in her face, but before he could do anything else, she snarled and leapt up, hand plunging into his chest. Someone swore from behind her as warm blood started leaking out of the wound she had created. She sighed and licked her lips. How long has it been since her last meal? How long has it been since she had played predator properly, with humans as prey? _Too long_. She allowed herself to taste the blood. Finding that it wasn't completely repulsive, she quickly brought the now lifeless body to her lips and proceeded to suck him dry before letting the body tumble out of her arms, nothing more than a pile of skin, bones and flattened strings of muscle tissue.

"What the fuck? What the actual fuck?" One of the men was saying over and over like a mantra. Some of them had tried to run away upon seeing her true strength, but the gang leader had locked the door securely to ensure that she would not be able to get away. Most of them had stayed frozen as the smell of blood wafted thickly through he air.

She went for the mumbling idiot next. He barely even had time to scream as she sank her fangs into his neck. The warm liquid ran down her throat, settling comfortably in her stomach. She was full after only half draining the second man, so he was spared. He now lay limply at her feet, chest still heaving up and down. She debated whether or not she should crush his throat and put an end to his life anyway, as her predatory instincts were screaming at her to do, but soon the scenario quickly sank in. These men had been about to give her a bed, although she didn't like the way they had started touching her. Was this any way to repay their kindness?

One of them was dead, she couldn't change that fact. But the others could live.

She watched blankly as they finally all snapped out of their reverie and tore down the door, haring down the hallway screaming at the top of their lungs.

She, on the other hand, drew Dino's jacket closer around her body. Bloodstains now joined the food and dirt stains on her once beautiful crimson dress. The hem of the dress had been torn into tatters as she had made her way through the forest. It was pretty much ruined, but she wasn't about to give up something that came from the human world.

Casting a glance curiously around the room, she decided to try out the bed. The sheets were soft but uncomfortable, and the bed was relatively hard. There were strange white blocks of soft things sitting at the end of the bed. She ripped one open and found that it was full of feathers.

A minute later, the door burst open once more, revealing two men in uniform. One of them shone a flashlight into her face and she shrank back, hissing warily at them. When they took another step forward, she bared her fangs at them, her hands trembling and clenching tightly around the jacket. _Fight or flight? _But before she could move, one of the men took a black device out of his pockets and pressed a button. Two chords shot out and attached themselves to her chest, and she felt the electricity arch through her body before everything went black.

* * *

"..e...acti...ome...feral beast. We couldn't take the jacket out of her grasp, so we decided to leave it on her and question her about it when she wakes up. She's covered in blood."

"I see." A voice replied. She knew that voice.

She sat up and the world spun around her. The jacket was still securely wrapped around her shoulders, and for that she was glad. Dino's jacket brought her comfort, because it still had Dino's scent on it, and she remembered the feeling of his arms around her as he gently settled the black fabric around her shoulders.

She blinked up at the bright light around her. When she tried to move her hand, she found that she had been attached to the side of a chair with what looked like two metallic circles attached together with a chain.

"They're handcuffs, if you didn't know." A man in uniform informed her with a solemn stare before leaving the room and quickly shutting the door. There was a sound of the door being locked. The room she was currently in was left empty. So the familiar voice must've come from another room.

She tugged at the handcuffs and snapped them with ease. Slipping the metallic things into her pocket (she had quickly come to learn that metallic things were valuable in a human's eyes), she wandered the perimeter of the room looking for a way out. So far, all the walls were painted white, which confused her senses. There was a low buzzing in the air, incessant and annoying. When she looked up at the ceiling, the strong white light shining down on her blinded her. She finally located the door handle, but that was hard to open. No matter how hard she rattled it, it refused to unlock the door. She was about to lean her shoulder against the door and open it with brute force before someone pulled it open and she toppled into the man's chest.

The familiar scent flooded her nostrils and she quickly stumbled back out of the man's reach.

Hibari Kyoya stared back at her.

"You." He stated flatly.

"You!" She replied eagerly. "Dino's predator!"

Hibari scowled. "I refuse to associate myself as anything of the Bucking Bronco's." His sharp glare softened ever so slightly as he took in the woman's confused gaze. She looked worse for the wear. Her dress was tattered and smelt absolutely disgusting. The only thing left clean was the jacket she had draped around her shoulders. Hibari gave the jacket a quizzical glance. What was it about the jacket that made it so precious to the vampire? And then he caught sight of the initials sewn into the coat pocket with gold thread. Of course. The jacket belonged to Dino Cavallone.

She caught him staring at her jacket and only tightened her hold on it. If anything, she was willing to fight the scary person in front of her for the jacket. If he was going to take this away from her as well, she was going to fight tooth and nail to keep it.

"I don't want it." Hibari stated sullenly. She merely replied by shoving the fragmented pieces of handcuffs into his hand.

"You can have this back. Just don't take the jacket." She nodded to herself, as if she had just accomplished something great. Hibari, however, was more interested in observing the state of the handcuffs. His lips curled up into a smirk. _Interesting. _The cuffs had been broken cleanly in half, as if she had merely taken it and snapped it like it was a cookie. That was an amazing thing in itself, but Hibari knew now that she had incredible strength, along with her incredible speed. She was proving to be a very interesting potential opponent indeed.

"Come." He commanded, clipping new handcuffs into place around her wrists. She glanced at them quizzically before trying to snap them as she had done with the previous pair. As soon as she tried to apply any pressure, purple flames spouted from the metal rims, and she dropped the pair with a yelp. But since the flames didn't seem to harm her, and this man was going to lead her back to Dino, she didn't really mind, and so walked beside him, docile once more.

* * *

"That fucking tonfa bastard! The next time I see him I'm going to shove so much dynamite up his ass, he'll be shitting explosions for a fucking month!" Gokudera slammed his fist into the nearby wall, and Tsuna 'hiee'd softly as a bit of plaster crumbled from the walls.

"Dino-san, I'm so sorry. Gokudera-kun, stop it!" Tsuna quickly gasped.

Dino chuckled. "It's alright, Tsuna. I'm quite used to the antics of your guardians, if you remember. Besides, Kyoya is Kyoya. He'll be doing fine, probably disciplining the streets of the nearby town or something. He'll come up to the estate when he's bored from biting people to death."

"Che. It'll be better if he doesn't come at all."

It had been two days since their arrival, and nothing much had happened. They had gone into the forest multiple times, and there was no sighting of the woman, though Dino had found scraps of red cloth that he had suspected was hers. On the second day, they had come across a corpse, but it was evidently one of a man. Dino had scowled and quickly checked the man's neck; no puncture wounds. The man had been killed through a bullet through the chest, which was something that rang warning bells in all three of the Mafioso's heads. They had given the body over to the Cavallone's personal autopsy team to decipher the time of death, cause of death and possible reason for death.

With each passing day, it was getting more and more frustrating for Gokudera. Here he was, getting so excited about seeing an actual UMA. And they come up here and Hibari stalks off without another word and they haven't heard from him since. The man had nerve, not reporting to his own boss. And Dino's got no leads either. Gokudera's been through so many records of the surveillance of the area around the forest perimeter that he knows all the camera records off by heart. Nothing was showing up, and Gokudera was ready to pack up and go home.

"When Hibari finds something, he'll probably tell us. Besides, I trust his instincts. If he thinks the vampire is somewhere near town, he would've found her already. I can't afford to leave the premises of my mansion, because of all the work that has started up again, so I apologize for any boredom that you two have to go through. There's nothing keeping you here, so you might as well go for a quick walk, Tsuna."

"Jyuudaime, if that Hibari bastard is in town, then I'd rather stay here." Gokudera muttered angrily. Tsuna nodded in agreement.

"Better not intrude on anything Hibari's doing, right Dino-san? Would you mind if we use some of the training grounds though? Maybe I can do some sparring with Gokudera." Gokudera's face lit up once more. It was an incredible honor to spar with Tsuna, because not only was there a chance for him to prove his worth, he could also show Tsuna some of the attacks he had been working on to fortify his use of the Systema C.A.I.

"It's built underground, Tsuna. Feel free to use it, although don't cause too much damage please..." Dino sighed wistfully as the Vongola duo left the cramped office to stretch and let loose some of the tensions of the previous day. It made him almost want to take a break too, but there were still matters to attend to.

"Boss, needing a break?"

Right on cue. Romario popped his head in with a knowing smile, holding a cup of tea for him. "Why don't you go into town and just re-..." Romario was rudely cut off as another hysterical subordinate rushed into the room.

"Master Dino, something strange happened in town! There was a group of men from a rival family who had come to mess around in our territory. You remember getting some forces together so that we could deal with them today, right? Well guess what? All of them left town screaming about something scary happening in one of the red light districts' brothels. Something about people's hearts being ripped out and eaten or something." The subordinate was almost blue in the face with the speed at which he was talking. He gave Dino another big migraine, but the statement had driven itself into his head.

"People...hearts? What?" Romario asked.

The man gasped and looked like he was going to faint if he had to repeat his story. Dino gently rose and pushed him down into his own chair, handing him the cup of tea that had been meant for him. The man gasped his thanks and gulped down a few mouthfuls before placing the cup aside and earnestly starting a story about the vampire who had come to town.

* * *

"Yo, Kyoya."

"Hn, what do you want."

"You found her, didn't you?"

"...hn."

"Why don't you go ahead and bring her up to the estate? We have some questions for her that she might have to answer. And besides, I think the recent attacks have something to do with her. Especially that one case..."

"Whatever. There's something I need to finish first."

"B-but Kyoya..."

"Shut up and stop whining."

The phone clicked shut and Dino sighed.

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much to **RainyDaes, kimichee, PrincipessaBel, 18, Anon **and **Guest **for their awesome reviews! And thanks to all those who followed and favorited as well!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I apologize for the perverted scenes and the shorter chapter. Next one will be up in a few days. Thanks so much for reading!

And thanks to all those who have suggested names for my OC. I'll keep them in mind, and hopefully they'll all be used at one point. Yes, she needs a lot of names. Reasons will, again, be revealed later. I hope this story is gathering momentum (although that might just be wishful thinking)...

Please review, everyone!


	6. Chapter 5: Mingling With 'Herbivores'

**Warning: Gore and violence.** (It's Hibari, what do you expect? XD)

* * *

It felt weird, living under the same roof as another person. And she had been doing so for the past 4 days.

Hibari Kyoya was a man of quiet habits. Although he seems unpredictable to others most of the time, to her, she knew exactly what he was going to do next. He had a very routine life and a very set schedule, and he expected her to follow that very schedule since he had taken her under his wing.

The fact that he was willing to put up with her was enough. Hibari was strict with her, and every day seemed to be a matter of survival for her. If she did something wrong, she would get hurt. If she tried to fight back, she would get hurt. So she had to learn, if she didn't want to experience pain. And she was slowly learning, because although Hibari didn't look it, the man was a patient teacher. He wasn't patient in the sense that he wouldn't hesitate to slam his metal weapons down on her head if she did anything wrong. He was patient in that he was willing to repeat actions over and over so that she would get them drummed into her head. He was also incredibly smart. He spoke to her in different languages, and she was quickly picking up on tone, individual phrases and body language that went along with the words.

She quickly realized that humans had boundaries that incited different responses when crossed. Hibari had told her that this was called a 'comfort zone', and that included the familiarity of their surroundings and the people they interact with, as well as their distance from each other. She found it weird, how people could be out of their comfort zones when there were people nearby and they could also be out of their comfort zones when there were not many people nearby.

She asked Hibari about the hypocritical nature of humans, and he merely snorted.

Although she knew that he posed just as much of a threat to herself as she did to him, they lived in relative comfort under the same roof. It was just as she had been with the forest, an uneasy pact between two strong beings.

The routine that had settled in was a habit that she was quickly getting used to.

Every morning, when the suns rays would creep against her bedpost, she would scramble out of bed and hurriedly open all the windows in the house to air the apartment out, careful to dodge the sunlight spotted floorboards. Hibari was almost always already up, and he often already had breakfast ready too. The first time he had cooked breakfast, she had watched him with curious eyes. He hadn't struck her as the type to cook, but even Hibari knew how to be self-sustainable.

He taught her how to cook as well. The first few attempts had been disastrous, as she had stuck her hand right into the fire to see what it felt like. When she pulled her hand away, whimpering in pain, Hibari grabbed the limb and examined it with furrowed brows.

"Foolish herbivore." He snapped. The hand was now dotted with blisters and reddened areas. Some areas were already beginning to swell, and it _hurt_ for him to hold her hand like that. Hibari brought her into town and bought her some burn cream, telling her to apply it herself. That night, she learned that humans had tools that both helped and hurt. Everything in this world was starting to make a little more sense to her. Everyone and everything was practically related to each other like a big food web, and in between the food and the predators were tools that helped either side. This was interesting, and it only made her more willing to learn.

The next few times she had tried to cook, the attempts were slightly better. She burnt most of the cooking, much to Hibari's annoyance. He had to take things off the stove and dump them right into a sink filled with water to stop the house from burning down a couple of times, but she was slowly but surely improving. On the third day of her stay, she finally managed to make breakfast for Hibari. His mouth had turned down at the weird gloopy substance she tried to serve him, but he nonetheless tasted it and deemed it poorly satisfactory.

Hibari took her into town once or twice, to show her how to use the metallic discs. He called it 'money', 'currency', 'cash' and a whole torrent of different names that made her head spin. What made it even worse was that each of the discs seemed to hold a different value! The smaller ones were worth less, and the bigger ones were worth more, that part was easier to understand, but then Hibari tossed a handful of bills into the mix and now everything was messed up.

When they walked around, she stood behind him so that his shadow enabled her to keep moving. Hibari had found out that she actually couldn't stand in the sunlight, as the first time he had shoved her away from him in irritation, she had frozen into an unmoving statue as soon as she stumbled into the patch of sunlight. She only started moving once more when he walked close enough for his shadow to pass over her entire body. Since then, he had tolerated her closeness, but he had just as often batted her into the sunlight when he deemed her a little too close for his comfort.

He took her to get new clothes, and that had been a slightly familiar experience. It reminded her of her first day in the human world, attending Dino's party. People dressed her up and took away some clothes that didn't seem to fit or didn't look nice. She was allowed to twirl in front of the mirror to assess her own outfit at times. Other times, Hibari would carelessly toss clothes into a basket and bring them to the counter impatiently. Most of the time, she was allowed to choose her own outfit, and that pleased her, because she was learning to interact with other humans whenever she spoke to them. The red dress Hibari had quickly discarded after they finished with clothes shopping. She refused to let go of Dino's jacket, however, and that was almost always draped casually around her shoulders. Hibari smirked at the image. It reminded him of his middle school days, where he walked around with his jacket fluttering proudly behind him.

With each day, she understood Hibari more and more. It wasn't hard to do so, since they both had the same instinctive reaction to almost anything. She didn't like crowded places, and Hibari was just as eager to leave the packed stores alone. She didn't like loud, disruptive noises because they made her eardrums hurt, and Hibari liked peace and quiet. When she was sleeping, she didn't like to be disturbed, and Hibari respected her privacy.

And slowly, Hibari taught her how to be human.

* * *

Although Hibari wasn't fond of the idea of living with someone else, especially one of the female gender, that was quickly cancelled out with the desire to draw out her full potential. Her silence and her nervous, skittery mannerisms got to him when he met her again at the police station, and he knew that she must've been through unfamiliar, uncomfortable experiences.

It was the same feeling he had when he first left the comfort of Namimori for the first time. Dino had invited him over to the Cavallone estate to do research on box weapons, and he had agreed because the both the Bucking Bronco and Reborn promised him a good fight when he reached the area. As soon as he had stepped off his private jet however, he had realized how much he depended on the orderly life he had in Namimori. He had stared sullenly out the window, silently missing the familiar sights and sounds of his hometown and territory. Suddenly, the world seemed so much bigger, with more crowding herbivores. And although most of his anxiety was brushed off with the a feeling of anticipation, of knowing that there were stronger, better opponents out there for him to discover and fight, he had been unresponsive for almost a whole week while he adjusted to the new place.

It must've been worse for the vampire, because instead of a new country she was adjusting to, it was a whole new world that she had to acknowledge. At least Hibari knew how to interact with other humans, though his interactions had been limited and short at best. The vampire knew basic words of communication, but she had no indication of the human way of thinking, feeding, living at all.

So Hibari had decided to take care of her for at least five days, to see if he could stand her presence. And although the five days had been quite hectic for someone used to a quiet and orderly life, he found that he didn't really want to chase her away. She was a quiet being, only yelping when extreme pain had been inflicted on her (as proven by the time she burned her whole hand). Even when he punished her for doing something wrong, bringing his tonfas harshly down upon her head, she barely made a whimper. Instead, she quietly adjusted her ways and went on with whatever she was doing.

She wasn't an unpleasant person to get along with. And she was a quick learner, which suited Hibari just fine.

He decided to leave the sparring and fighting and gauging of potential later, when Cavallone had finished with questioning her. He had cleared up any misunderstanding with the police from the other day (in Hibari's eyes, the herbivores were deserving of their fate).

But there was one thing he was _immensely _curious about.

He wanted to see if she really was what she claimed. He wanted to see her predatory instincts, her hunting instincts, wanted to see her in her very primitive state of mind.

So for the next three days, he starved her.

* * *

Mealtimes came and went. Hibari left the apartment whenever it was time for the humans to feed, and he always came back empty-handed. There was nothing for her to eat.

At first, she had thought that this was another test of how much she had learnt from his cooking techniques, but when she tried to turn on the stove, the fires refused to start. She would settle for a slab of raw meat too, so she tried to open the cupboards and the refrigerator and found that both of them were also devoid of all food.

She started to panic now, and the anxiety was making her heart beat faster, blood rushing all around her body. She needed to feed. Her stomach rumbled, and she locked herself in her own room, refusing to open the door even upon Hibari's request. Because she knew that although Hibari had been nice to her, had been a patient teacher, but when she was hungry, food was food. Humans were food. She would attack upon sight and smell.

It came up to the point where she was starting to become increasingly agitated and fidgety. Every time Hibari would walk into the apartment, his smell would permeate the air, making her stomach growl. She would huddle in the corner of her bedroom and angrily chomp on her arm, refusing to give in to her hunger's demands. But she knew that the more she resisted, the worse her condition would become. She became angrier and angrier with each passing day, frustration at the empty stomach eating away at her sensibility. She ripped up her pillows, clawed at the walls, and smashed the bedside tables. The room was strewn with scenes of destruction. The bed had all but collapsed, and the mirror in the bathroom was shattered and stained with a mixture of blood and saliva. She had taken to walking across the glass pieces in an effort to distract the growing hunger in her stomach with pain. And when she found that walking across the sharp objects made blood well up from different cuts on the soles of her feet, she took to licking the splatters off the glass pieces.

Although Hibari could hear the destruction coming from her room, he nevertheless made no move to walk inside and correct her. He wanted to see how long it would be before she snapped, before her self-control was no longer able to calm the beast inside her. The thought of actually coming face to face with a bloodthirsty creature as herself made him smirk with subconscious anticipation.

As if sensing his willingness, she finally relented. Her sense of control darkened, dimmed before finally giving in to her predatory side.

* * *

The day had started as what Hibari had now deemed as normal.

There was a raging vampire inside one of the rooms, but Hibari was unfazed. Apart from the occasional crashing sounds and creaking snaps of wood being ripped brutally apart, the house was silent. He sat in the living room, languidly flicking through one of the travel brochures for the Italian countryside. And that's when he flicked a page too fast. The edge of the paper nicked his finger, drawing out a small drop of blood.

A few seconds later, there was a wail of pure anguish from inside the room.

And then she was lunging at him.

Hibari barely had time to parry a blow before he was shoved rudely off the sofa. His tonfas came out with a barely audible 'click' and he slammed one into her, forcing her back and away from him. Her eyes flickered at his movement and she sped towards him at a speed that Hibari's own trained eyes were barely able to follow. He flipped the sofa over easily and slammed it into her, pushing her back to the middle of the room. She shook her head, unperturbed and getting her bearings. Her eyes zeroed in on her prey.

Hibari let out a growl of excitement as she flickered to his right side, trying to get at his neck. One of her fingernails flicked his cheek, spilling more blood.

He turned with the near blow, lashing out at her stomach. Although she was moving at a high speed, she wasn't particularly on guard. His blows landed on her squarely, but none of them seem to be able to deter her from getting her food. She came at him again, eyes flashing angrily as he seemed to evade her moves as if she was moving in slow motion.

Hibari himself was getting frustrated. The woman didn't seem to tire as most of his usual opponents did. More than half of the room had already been smashed into debris with their fight, and she was dancing over the smashed furniture as if it didn't hurt her feet at all. Hibari's own feet were cut and bleeding, and the pain was distracting him from landing solid blows.

He grunted as her hand slashed at his midsection. His tonfas came up to slam into her face as she tried going for his throat once more. He was incredibly pleased with this battle, because it truly was a life and death situation. If he let his guard down once, she would tear into him and he would really lose his life to the monster in front of him. The woman knew that if she didn't get any blood, she would just as likely die from starvation or from getting killed by enemies when she went into a coma from the lack of blood. The thought terrified her. The only thing going through her mind right now was _I don't want to die. _

So she kept attacking. She didn't recognize Hibari as the man who had saved her and taught her all these days anymore. She recognized him as prey, moving just out of her reach. She was becoming agitated and frustrated, and lunged at him randomly in effort to pin him down, only to have him bat her away easily as if she was a mere fly.

Letting out another snarl, she danced out of the reach of his tonfas and tried to hide in the shadows. To her amazement, Hibari's eyes seemed accustomed to the darkness and her stealthy attacks didn't work on him. Every time she tried to come at his back, his tonfa would be there, barring her access to his flesh. She tried everything; moving faster, slinking silently, or just charging at him with brute strength and force on her side. She managed to land a few hits and paused to lick the blood off her fingers, but Hibari seemed just as determined to keep her on the move.

His aura wasn't helping the situation one bit. Hibari's bloodthirsty aura was as potent as her own, filling the air with cackling murderous intent. The two of them went at each other only as two predators locked in a cage could, neither one wanting to give way. While she had speed and strength on her side, Hibari had skill, experience and resolution.

The fight ended abruptly when chains shot out of the end of Hibari's tonfas. They wrapped around her, anchoring here to one side of the room. She yowled angrily and struggled, the chains digging into her flesh and leaving painful red marks.

Hibari stood in front of her, face impassive as she snarled and ripped angrily at the chains. While regular metal might've caved under her strength, Hibari's tonfa chains were carefully laced with propagating cloud flames. The inside of the metal thickened and made it ten times as hard as ordinary steel, nearly impossible for her to break. Nevertheless, she kept trying. Her fingers were starting to bleed, and she paused in her actions to quickly lick the drops of blood off her injured appendages.

"You don't have skill or direction in your fight." Hibari commented quietly, kneeling on one leg in front of her. His hand rested on his other bent leg as he observed her movements.

She had become quiet, battling the lethargic feeling that was already taking over her senses. Waves of sleepiness washed over her, and helplessness mocked her heart. Without blood, she wouldn't be able to move for much longer, as her body shut down to try and keep her in a state of sleepy consciousness. Her heart pounded against her ribcage, filling her with a sense of weak hopelessness and despair. She wouldn't be able to see Dino anymore. She wouldn't be able to protect him. She wouldn't be able to apologize for all the things that she had done to ruin his birthday party. She would never earn the smile that he directed at others.

Hibari frowned as her head lolled to the side. She didn't even have the strength to do much anymore, as most of her energy was spent repairing her battered body. If he listened closely, he could tell that her heartbeat had slowed significantly. A flicker of guilt crossed his mind, but he shook it off. It was worth it, wasn't it? He got to see a truly carnivorous being at work, he got to beat the beast and tame her.

But some beasts aren't supposed to be tamed, he knew.

The figure of the hopeless woman across from him was pitiful to look at. "You're pathetic." He told her quietly, and the only thing he got in response was another blink of the eye.

With a growl of frustration, Hibari yanked her across to him so that she would have access to his neck. For all he cared, he had proved the vampire's existence. No human would have been able to fight so strongly and yet so unskillfully. All other opponents that have stood on relative equal grounds with Hibari Kyoya were all people who've had years of training, and this foolish creature wasn't even used to the human world yet.

She latched easily onto his neck, hungrily sucking the blood right out of his arteries. From the hungry pull of her fangs, Hibari knew that she had teetered on the brink of total hunger driven insanity. She had retained just enough sense not to suck him dry on the spot. Hibari refused to give into the sleepiness that came with blood loss, choosing to shake her crossly off when he was sure she was back in a saner state of mind.

She leaned across to lick at the wound a few times apologetically before blinking and surveying the destroyed state of the room.

Without warning, her hand slapped him across the face. Hibari let out an annoyed growl before lifting his tonfas, ready to retaliate. He faltered ever so slightly when he saw the look of undeniable rage and hurt on her face.

"I thought you were teaching me how to be _human._ What did you have to gain to force the monster out of me? I never..._never wanted to return to that state of mind!_" Her voice was soft yet trembling with barely contained rage. Her hand clenched and unclenched, nails digging into her already ripped clothes.

Hibari smirked, standing and dusting his trousers off. Ignoring the stinging mark on his face.

"It's part of the learning process." He replied as if it explained everything, before sweeping out of the room to give the Bucking Bronco a call. She could only blink confusedly after him, her anger ebbing away to be replaced with satisfaction at a full stomach and curiosity at Hibari's words.

Humans are strange, strange creatures.

* * *

"Hey Kyoya, glad to see that you've finally decided to vi...what the hell have you done to her?"

The vampire stared blankly at the man she loves. Dino was in a state of half panic, surveying the damage that his student had done to the woman in front of him. There was a big bruise across her face, spanning from her forehead all the way down to her jaw line. Judging from the even bruising, it was evidently a tonfa mark. Her legs and arms hadn't been spared either. There were angry red patterns all over her arms and legs, coupled with bruises and scratches. She was barefoot, her feet sporting multiple cuts.

She was currently standing in Hibari's shadow, blinking nervously at the sunlit gardens behind her. It was all familiar territory for her, but she would never be able to return to the forest again, and the fact saddened her. She had lived in the forest long enough to call it home, but the brick wall that was once keeping her out was now keeping her in. Still, if Dino was here with her, it wouldn't be too bad of an experience, she thought to herself.

"Kyoya!" Dino spluttered indignantly. His eyes flashed upon seeing the closeness of the woman and Kyoya, and a flare of jealousy spun through his chest. If he tried to get that close to Kyoya, then he would no doubt be spending the next month in hospital. But Kyoya was standing casually, hands stuck in his pockets, as if he didn't mind her at all. _Surely they couldn't be that close to each other after only a week? _

Hibari sighed. "I'm no medic, Cavallone."

Dino opened his mouth to give Hibari another tongue lashing when the vampire spoke up.

"It doesn't hurt, Dino. Besides, this is part of the learning process, right, Hibari-san?" Dino was shocked into silence. Hibari smirked at her, and if Dino didn't have self-preservation instincts, he would've pointed out that the aloof skylark looked almost _proud._

_Just what has Kyoya been teaching the young woman? _

"Well then, come in, both of you." Dino couldn't help but give the woman another wary glance, which she replied with a pain filled look that forced him to look away.

"YOU'RE THE UMA? Che, you look weak. And _ordinary._" Gokudera was extremely disappointed in the outcome. First, he had gotten the news that Hibari knew where the UMA was all along, and was now bringing her to the estate. He had gotten so excited that he spent the whole night pacing in his room, flicking through his old science fiction magazines and practicing different UMA languages with the hints and tips from the magazines. He had even prepared the ultimate UMA dish to present to her as a peace offering: peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a dash of sunny side up eggs on the side. He read somewhere that peanut butter was addictive to all creatures from other worlds, and so had wanted to try it out.

When he finally came face to face with the vampire, he was sorely disappointed. She looked like an ordinary person, except with paler skin.

"Ordinary?" She grinned at him, inadvertently giving him a good look at her fangs. Gokudera blanched. "Thank you! That's the best compliment a person has given me!"

Tsuna blinked. "Gokudera, did you just see..."

"Stop being such a FAKER!" Gokudera screeched in rage, jabbing his finger in her face. Dino chuckled nervously to the side. Hibari, leaning against the wall in the far corner of the room, curiously wondered how long Gokudera Hayato would last in a fight against her.

The vampire seemed surprised to have a finger stabbed right in front of her. Out of reflex, she nibbled tentatively on it, and Gokudera pulled his finger back, turning red. "You...what...how..." He gasped. The vampire cocked her head to the side and studied his red face. She could smell the blood rushing to his face, and she briefly wondered how this peculiar, silver-haired male would taste.

Dino seemed equally nervous. "Kyoya, did you teach her to bite or something hahah..." He trailed off when she locked eyes with him, and the hurt expression came across her face again. She took a step towards Dino.

"Oi, woman. Are you the real deal or not?"

"I assure you she is authentically vampiric, Gokudera Hayato." Hibari spoke up. His words almost gave everyone else in the room a heart attack, not only because of the implied meanings behind his words, but also because the Hibari Kyoya has decided to grace them with a whole sentence. Gokudera, obviously set against anything Hibari has to say, growled in annoyance and paced around the woman.

"I don't trust you." He stated bluntly. This was directed at both raven heads in the room.

"She bit me." Dino argued. "I think she's the real deal."

"No way. If she was, then she would've reacted to the garlic necklace I'm wearing today." Gokudera angrily pulled the choker out from under his shirt. The vampire only observed quietly, interest sparking behind her eyes. What was the significance between whether or not she was 'authentic' and the smelly fruit he was dangling in front of her eyes? When his hand hovered too close to her face once more, she bared her fangs and let it brush the skin of his mouth. Gokudera yelped.

"Hibari, tell your fucking animal to stop biting people!"

She recoiled at that. _Animal?_

"Gokudera, that's not a nice way to address people." Tsuna admonished softly. He sighed and turned to Dino. "However, Gokudera does have a point. We do need to find out whether or not she's actually a vampire. You and Hibari-san have known her for longer, so it's only natural that you guys have your own opinions, but Gokudera and I would like solid proof. If that's possible." Tsuna cast a doubtful glance at the woman, who was now trying to taste the garlic by licking Gokudera's necklace.

Hibari scoffed and stalked across the room to the herbivorous bunch. Grabbing her by the collar, he shoved her into the nearest patch of sunlight coming from the windows. Tsuna yelped, and Gokudera froze, waiting for a reaction.

There was no movement.

"What the fuck, Hibari. Nothing's happening."

"Exactly, Gokudera." Tsuna let out a breath of amazement. The woman had frozen as if she was nothing but a statue. Her eyes weren't blinking, and the telltale rise and fall of her chest had stopped as well. She stayed still for an impossibly long time, her eyes never closing once.

Needless to say, Gokudera got a lot more enthusiastic after that. He decided that he should be in charge of actually determining whether the woman was a UMA or not, and after leaving her in the sunlight for more than half an hour, he finally pulled her into the shaded areas once more. She blinked once and sat up, staring at everyone in confusion. Gokudera turned red with excitement and dragged her down the hallways to do more tests. Hibari yawned and walked right out of the room, no doubt going to claim one of Cavallone's guest rooms as his own. Tsuna sighed and proceeded to follow Dino to the office to discuss the recent turn of events.

* * *

"Jyuudaime! She doesn't appear in videos or pictures!"

The vampire watched warily as the overly enthusiastic male shoved her into another corner before whipping out his camera and taking a picture of her. He then proceeded to wave it in the shorter male's face. Her eyes wandered to the shorter male's thick pelt atop his head. There was an awful lot of fur covering his head, she noted. _Hair_, she mentally corrected. Hibari had hit her when she first suggested that his raven locks were 'fur'. She squinted at the short male once more. All of his hair was standing upwards as if he had been recently shocked. It gave her the irresistible urge to fluff his hair.

Gokudera came bounding over to her. He had suddenly turned uncomfortably polite with her, always asking her if she needed something. He also asked if there were 'more of her' or 'other kinds of her', which confused her immensely. Of course there were more of her kind. And of course there were other supernatural creatures. Did the Gokudera Hayato human really think that she was the only special one out there?

"Well, there are the people in the sky." She told him softly.

"People in the...THE SKY? You mean aliens?" She winced at his sheer volume, and he immediately softened his voice for fear of scaring her off.

"What kind of people in the sky? Are they green? Do they fly around in ships? What does their language sound like? Do they come down to earth sometimes? Do they only show themselves to a few people or something?"

She stumbled over her answers, but no matter what she said, Gokudera Hayato seemed to accept it like it was priceless information.

"They're people in the sky. They're not green, but they can be green sometimes. They are also blue sometimes. They're smart, because they know a lot about humans. I don't know if they fly around in ships..." She brought up the mental image of the people in the sky sitting around in ships like the type Hibari had shown her when they walked around on the port and giggled. "They fly around in cash."

Gokudera got confused, until she pulled a few coins out of her pocket.

"They fly around in discs." She told him sagely, and he nodded, noting it down. "They come down to Earth sometimes to talk to me."

The interrogation was finally over when Tsuna decided that he had bothered her enough for the day and proceeded to drag a protesting Gokudera away. She promised that she would take Gokudera to see the people in the sky someday, waving sadly as her first friend disappeared out of sight.

"So...um..."

She jumped. She had completely forgotten that Dino was still in the room. Her face promptly turned red with embarrassment as she realized that they were alone.

Dino took in her appearance once more, gesturing helplessly to her wounds. "Do you need anything for that? I can get some maids to help you bandage it up or something..."

"It's okay, Dino, it doesn't hurt." She replied quietly.

Dino sighed. She seemed to like using his name. Whenever he addressed her, she seemed to want to slip his name into every sentence that she spoke back. It wasn't like 'Dino' was the only name she knew. She knew Kyoya's, Gokudera's and Tsuna's now, but she never did that with them.

"Have you...um...decided on a name yet?" Dino rubbed the back of his neck, wishing for the umpteenth time that he had never met such a troublesome creature. Now that she was undeniably not human, he had to be extra careful in how he treated her in accordance to the rest of the people in his family. He kept on wondering if his hospitality was enough, but she seemed happy enough with what she was given. He had already instructed maids to come and show her to her room later, but he had been planning on asking her a few questions on the case before she was led off. However, he had neither the heart nor the courage to start another interrogation right after Gokudera had finished his, so he settled for making small talk. Except, starting a conversation with a vampire was obviously harder than he previously thought.

"I was hoping you would name me, Dino." She replied.

"Would you please...stop doing that? I mean, I don't usually mind people getting on a first name basis with me, but you keep repeating...I mean...Agh! I just don't know, okay? It annoys the heck out of me!" Dino tugged at his hair.

She immediately clammed up, and Dino could only look on worriedly as her expression turned crestfallen. She had really just been trying to get to know him better, right? She wasn't like any of his normal stalkers. She didn't immediately try to jump him when they were in the same room. She didn't lick her lips seductively whenever she saw him, nor did she lean down to offer tantalizing yet unwanted glimpses at her cleavage. She really wasn't trying at all, just going for the ordinary look, sitting there, and doing nothing. Dino was just taking his frustrations out on her, and now he had actually shouted at her and she wasn't talking anymore.

She was a true enigma. Dino might have the least idea of who she truly was out of all of the people who had interacted with her so far, and he was far from satisfied with that idea. He had met her first, after all. Hibari was probably most familiar with her ways. Gokudera was getting there, and Tsuna seemed content to just observe her mannerisms from the side. And Dino...he felt a little guilty for wanting to downright ignore her at first, but now that he had finally realized that she wasn't one of his crazy stalkers, he hoped to be on better terms with her.

"Uhm..." She cast him a nervous glance, as if he was going to snap at her if she even so much as opened her mouth once more. Dino nodded encouragingly at her, trying not to wince when she took the sudden movement as disapproval.

"Go on." He murmured.

"Hibari-san already thought up a name for me. He said because you told him I came from the forest, that he would call me Moriko." She blinked, and managed to look pleased with herself when she didn't stumble over the words. Dino smiled at her and she grinned back tentatively.

_It's a start, _the Bucking Bronco thought to himself. _Anyway, wasn't there that saying? Keep your friends close but your enemies closer or something? _Just the thought of trying to get closer to her, with all her confusing facial expressions and stuttered ways of speaking made Dino want to groan and bash his head against the wall. But he was a Don, he had an image to uphold. He wasn't about to be ridiculed, obviously not in front of his potential enemy either, so he managed to restrain himself from killing copious amounts of brain cells.

"How about I give you an Italian last name then?" He suggested.

She...no, Moriko now, nodded eagerly at his suggestion.

Dino stood up and scratched his head, pacing back and forth, wearing down his carpet. Judging by the frayed ends of the carpet, the faded colors and the now coarse textures, he did this a lot. He glanced outside the window, his eyes catching the orderly line of trees, bordering the red brick wall. _The forest...was where she was living all this time, right? But now she's emerged from the forest to walk among humans. Perfect. This would match her Japanese name! Granted, it might sound a little weird when put together..._

Moriko watched happily as he shuffled back and forth, her eyes following his every move. He was going to name her. The Dino Cavallone, the male she most certainly held feelings for, was going to name her! _I want my last name to be Cavallone, just like Dino. _That was her wishful thinking coming into play once more. She knew that this 'transfer of names' would only happen in marriage, union between two individuals who wish to be together for the rest of their lives. But marriage between a vampire and a human, never mind with one who was so respectable and well known as Dino Cavallone, would probably never happen.

She would settle for any name Dino gave her.

"Sylvana Moriko." Dino suddenly stated. "Sylvana means 'from the forest' too."

She nodded, a genuine smile stretching across her face. But her heart clenched unwillingly.

'_Cavallone Moriko_' was never a possibility to begin with.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks so much to **Reborn-Story-Reader, Sakura Shoujo, 18, RainyDaes, Kimichee, Clocked002, xkaiistarx **and **PrincipessaBel **for your wonderful reviews! You guys really keep the creativity flowing! Thanks to all those who favorited and followed as well :3

People who have reviewed as unregistered members, I apologize for not sending you personal thank you messages but it's not quite possible to send you guys mail. If you do have an account (If you couldn't be bothered to sign in or something), please drop me a PM and I'll be sure to thank you individually :3

So, she now has a name (thanks to **RainyDaes** who suggested the Italian name). Don't worry, I assure you other names will be used as well, possibly as Aliases for my OC! Keep an eye out for your suggested name :3 I really loved all the suggestions to bits, and if you come across anything interesting, be sure to drop me a PM as well. I'm still open for more suggestions haha~

And apologies for the really long A/N, but I want to tell you all that updates will be slower starting from Monday next week. (I'm thinking of updating once a week because of school .). So updates will be every Wednesday, is that alright with you all? If I get a good response, I might be able to put up another chapter before monday! (Motivation? I'm horrible :P)

Anyway, how was this chapter? Gokudera finally meets Moriko! Hibari's motives are (partly) revealed!

Review, anyone?


	7. Chapter 6: Peanut Butter and Ice Cream

"_Moriko." A rough hand shook her shoulder. "Moriko, wake up." _

_She mumbled and pressed her head further in to her pillow, unwilling to relinquish the gentle tendrils of sleep. They dangled just out of her reach. Her senses were already wide-awake now, ready to flee, fight or feed. Her stomach clenched in anxiety. _

"_You're breathing's irregular." He leaned over her and gave her such a warm look that she almost melted right back into unconsciousness then and there. _

Of course, _she wanted to say. _With your face hovering over me, how can it be regular?

_But even as she said so, there was a bleary recognition of her heart skipping a few beats, pumping weakly. She brought her hand up to her mouth and coughed feebly, frowning when a gob of blood spiraled out of her mouth and into her palm. Sitting up, she let the cold morning air wash over her night gown cloaked body, her feet tapping onto the carpeted floor as she made her way to the bathroom._

_She washed her hands, watching as the blood trailed reluctantly down the drain. The metallic tang filled the air once more. _

"_Do you need to feed?" He was there again, just behind her. His hand tapped teasingly on her shoulders, and she turned to face him with wide eyes. The hunger hit, so suddenly, that she was clenching her stomach with the onslaught of a sudden pain in her abdomen. _

_Her eyes widened. _Control. _She breathed, in and out. _Just like Hibari-san taught her. Control. Discipline._ The hand on her shoulder tightened ever so slightly. She could hear the concern in his tone as he leaned towards her, murmuring her name. Her mind couldn't..._wouldn't _register as her own fists tightened. Blood. She wanted blood. Craved blood. She needed his blood. _

"_Moriko?" His voice was so inviting. He wanted this. She wanted this. _

_Lunging forward, she sunk her fangs into his throat and tore at the delicate flesh. He didn't even have time to scream as he toppled forward into her arms. All she cared about was her hunger, his blood, his scent, and his touch..._

_She released him abruptly. His limp body fell to the floor. Lifeless. Blood pooled around his head. Glassy eyes stared up at her, accusingly. She fisted her hand into his hair; fear and satisfaction clashed in her mind, making her chest tighten with conflicting emotions. She wanted to turn tail and run, run back to the safety of her shadows and her forest. But the cruel truth mocked her in the gentle wavering of the trees in her familiar forest. She was not welcome. She was stuck between two worlds now, a vampire who wanted too much. And she would never truly belong to either one._

_Maybe that's why she killed him. To belong. Or to prove her monstrous nature. _

_She stroked Dino Cavallone's blond tresses sadly, tears dripping from her eyes. _

_She had never meant to kill. But it was quite literally woven into her genes. She was a monster. _

_The wind ruffled the tree leaves, and they flaked slowly off the trees until the land before her very eyes was a barren wasteland. The red brick wall crumbled, battered by the sudden atmospheric change. Her hands trembled as she identified a pair of eyes, shadowed and mysterious. _He _was watching her. He knew she was in the wrong place. _He _was coming to get Dino. And she was terrified._

_She wrapped her arms protectively around Dino's body and screamed in fear as the shadows shifted, giving her a good look at _his_ face. He leered back at her, one hand reaching out from the shadows to pat her on the head. _

"You won't have him!" _She cried. _

"_But I already do." He replied. _

* * *

"Moriko...!"

She blinked, before silently slipping upright in her cocoon of blankets. Her startled waking thoughts chased the dredges of the nightmare from her mind, and soon she was rubbing her eyes and staring at the intruder sleepily.

Gokudera 'tsk'ed at her bedraggled state and handed her a tray of breakfast. Behind him, a flustered maid wrung her hands and glanced around the room, not knowing what she had to do. Gokudera dismissed her with a quick backwards glare and barked an order. "Get Moriko some proper day clothes and make sure they're clean. Afterwards, run a bath for her." The poor member of staff squeaked and shuffled out of the room with a "Sorry, Master Gokudera, Madam Moriko."

Ah, that's right. She had been named just the day before. A combination of Hibari-san and Dino's efforts. Sylvana Moriko, a name she was strangely tolerant of, but unsatisfied with. She wanted so much more.

"I heard about your christening." Gokudera nodded solemnly, looking a little disappointed that he had taken no part in it. She shook her head.

"How about you name the person from the sky." She offered quietly, feeling the irresistible urge to please Gokudera and make him smile once more. Upon seeing his hopeful expression crawl back onto his face, she deemed her mission accomplished and set about finishing off her peanut butter sandwich.

She took apart the two loaves of bread with a frown. Sandwiches had always been a big problem for her. For one, they were served in on a plate, so she had to balance them on her knees awkwardly as she figured out the best angle to sink her teeth into the breakfast treat. The fact that Gokudera was looking expectantly at her with his notebook out to take notes wasn't helping one bit. She supposed his research was still going on, and so decided to try and eat this as neatly as possible so as not to make a right fool of herself. That, and also the reason for getting kicked out of Dino's mansion in the first place was still fresh in her mind. Would she be called a barbarian and a 'slut' again? By Gokudera, her true first friend? Gokudera seemed the most accepting of her habits and her special features, and seemed to want to understand her the most, so she had safely identified him in the category of 'friendly'. Dino disapproved of her. Hibari-san wanted her to show her true strength, and wasn't interested in much else. The fluffy haired male didn't express any expectations of her yet, but she was starting to think that he wanted to avoid her.

A disaster. When she pressed the two pieces back together and sank her teeth into it, she found that the sugary goo inside was much too full. Gokudera, in his well-meaning enthusiasm, had spread a thick layer of peanut butter on one side of the bread and coupled it with another thick layer of jelly. The two, pressed together, had become one unstable sandwich. And now, added with the pressure of her sharp teeth, the sandwich had burst like a water balloon.

Peanut butter and jelly everywhere. It was splattered in Gokudera's hair, on his notebook, all over the bed sheets, tangled into her own waist length midnight locks. She hurriedly licked the sugary mixture off her fingers, finding that she did quite like the taste. It was almost...addictive.

Gokudera gasped and turned rather pink in the face as she leaned forward to lick the mess off his face. She meant no harm, and the movements weren't intentionally seductive, but in such close proximity and the fact that they were both on a bed...Gokudera had never been good with girls. He blushed furiously and tried to shove her face away as politely as possible, but she seemed determined to get every last drop of the mixture out of his hair and his face.

To his immense relief and slight anxiety, she moved onto eating the stuff off his notebook. He had half a mind to rip it out of her grasp, since the ink was running slightly and there were smears of black on her cheeks and her tongue, but before he could move, she was finishing up with the front cover, handing the slightly dampened book back to Gokudera. Gokudera's eyes shone with unbelievable happiness. He was holding a book...his very own notebook, which a UMA had licked! It had traces of her DNA on it!

"I'm going to go to the lab for something! Wait here, Moriko! The maid will probably come back and help you soon!" He danced out of the room, leaving the clueless vampire to nibble at her bed sheets until a maid came in and shocked her out of her happy eating habits with a piercing scream.

* * *

"Herbivore, what did I say about table manners?" Hibari clomped her neatly over the head, cuffing some of her hair. She shook the pain off and stood with her head downcast, eyes unreadable.

Hibari sighed. It seems that teaching her would be a lot harder than he thought. After all, he couldn't predict what happens to her on a day-to-day basis, especially with unpredictable herbivores like Gokudera Hayato and Dino Cavallone around. Even now, as he mulled over the punishment he was going to dish out later, the Vongola lapdog was shrieking at him about how he was disrespecting the UMA culture by forcing her to succumb to human ways, or some nonsense. Hibari scoffed. Nobody was forcing her to do anything. In fact, Hibari would rather she eat disgustingly, if she could retain her carnivorous nature. But he knew that if she did truly want to survive, she would have to learn and be disciplined.

"Go wash up." He ordered with narrowed eyes. She frowned in the general direction of the bathroom, where sounds of running water could be heard. Hibari waited expectantly, arms crossed and expression blank, but she made no move in that direction. Instead, she held up a hand, still slightly sticky with the peanut butter mixture, and patted his cheek lightly in a friendly, apologetic gesture.

"Go." He growled.

She nodded and scampered off, leaving Hibari with a withering glare and a few trails of peanut butter and jelly lingering on his face.

* * *

Dino decided that it was only polite to give her a tour of the house.

He stood outside her door, adjusting his tie nervously. Even though he was in his own home, he now found that he had to play the role of an accommodating host, and to a vampire no less. He was sure she didn't expect much, seeing as she literally only came out of the forest a few days ago, but even so, it would only be polite. He tried to shake off the feeling that she was going to stay awhile. If possible, he would like to avoid that scenario. There was no telling what would happen with a vampire under his roof, especially not with a particularly tense relations talk coming up with another well known Don.

He cleared his throat and rapped on the door. It swung open, revealing a very flustered maid. She was holding a bar of soap, bubbles trailing all the way up her arm.

"M-master Dino...are you here for Madam Sylvana Moriko? She's currently in the bathroom, so..." She trailed off, caught off guard by Dino's reassuring smile.

"I'll wait for her outside then. Thanks."

He was about to turn when the bathroom door suddenly swung open, revealing a very clean and very _naked _Moriko. Moriko swung her dark hair over her shoulders, eyeing Dino with evident curiosity as the man turned an impressive shade of red before spluttering and turning to face the wall.

"What's wrong?" She hurried over to him and tapped him on the shoulder, concern laced in her voice. The maid giggled slightly as Dino turned an even darker shade before shuffling towards the door with one hand over his eyes, the other feeling for the doorknob. He froze when his fingers brushed over her stomach, and she captured it in her hands.

"P...Put..." He gasped.

_Get your act together, Dino Cavallone! _He was used to situations similar to this, where women who wanted to catch his attention would wear dresses too short or long gowns with a low neckline. He was used to their clamoring and sly trailing of their fingers down his body. Sometimes, they would even smirk at him as they slipped out of jackets, or ran one finger down their long legs, hoping that their bodies alone would be enough to garner his attention. But truth be told, Dino had never seen a women fully naked, until today of course. Luckily, her hair had been long enough to cover some of her upper body, and Dino hadn't thought to look downward. He thanked his naturally unperverted nature.

"Put some clothes on, _please!_" It hadn't meant to come out as a whine, but there really was no point crying over spilt milk.

"But Dino, you look sick!" The maid was openly laughing now as the vampire cradled Dino's face, trying to get him to turn and look at her. She really was completely clueless, and Dino was only saved when the maid suddenly lunged forward and dragged the vampire off him, shoving her back into the bathroom and tossing underwear and a simple white summer dress inside after her. There was a cry of surprise as the vampire found the door slammed in her face, but her attention was diverged to the clothes lying on the floor in front of her, much to the maid's immense relief.

"Master Dino, she'll change now." The woman managed with a straight face.

"Thank you, Irelia." Dino sighed, rubbing his hands over his eyes. Was it just him, or did the room smell like peanut butter? The bed looked clean enough, having been changed with fresh sheets. The balcony doors had been thrown wide upon to air the room out, and a light breeze tousled Dino's hair. He paced to the balcony, letting the cool weather calm his fluttering heart down.

* * *

"So, here's the dining room..." Dino tripped over the dining table leg. In an effort to right himself, he grabbed onto the tablecloth.

Moriko watched as the whole elegant lunch layout cascaded off the side of the high table, a glittering waterfall of luxurious cutlery. She darted forward.

Dino clenched his eyes shut, waiting to hear the delicate tinkling of breaking plates and wine glasses. It wasn't as if he wasn't used to the sound, but his heart ached every time he realized he would have to put in another order for top-notch cutlery. He knew he was eating into the family budget, and that was already enough to make him unbearably guilty about his constant trips and falls and damages to the furniture. _Maybe I should've gotten Romario to stay with us. Everything seems alright when Romario's with me. _

When nothing reached his ears, he blinked.

Moriko was standing before him. Plates tucked snugly in the crooks of her arms, bowls balanced upon her head. She held all the forks, knives and spoons in her mouth and she nodded at him expectantly.

"...a...ahaha!" His breath came in quick gasps as he tried to bring more oxygen into his mouth. He was shaking with laughter, chuckles rolling easily off his tongue.

Moriko almost swallowed a knife in her excitement. She had made him laugh! She made Dino happy! That fact was enough to make her want to smile. Unfortunately, all the utensils stuffed in her mouth, held back by sheer will and her lengthy fangs, didn't allow that simple motion of the mouth. So she had to settle with quirking her eyebrows at Dino, which sent the man into another bout of laughter. She shuffled nervously as he rolled uncomfortably close to the table legs, getting tangled in the tablecloth still draped messily on the floor.

And Hibari found the two of them in that pitiful state nearly fifteen minutes later, Dino still on his knees, gasping for air, and poor Moriko juggling with crystal cups and expensive saucers.

He proceeded to relieve the woman of her burden and beat Dino up for being so ungentlemanly.

* * *

Out of all the areas in the house, the garden was her favorite. Hibari had managed to convince Dino to build a traditional Japanese garden, with neat rows of trees and a spectacular Zen garden off to one side. A pagoda built with a little bridge sat comfortably in the middle of a big pond, where koi fish flicked their fins lazily at the sun and gaped at her when she waved at them. At first, she had almost given the fish heart attacks when she darted into the water to try and catch some, but Hibari quickly put a hole in that idea by wrapping one chain around her leg and dragging her back to shore before she could cause any damage to Dino's garden ornaments.

The whole area was relatively shaded, with the big mansion structure towering behind them. It was a pleasant place, and it smelt of nature and reminded her of the forest, which was just a few steps away from where she currently stood. The sun had been covered up by some clouds, and she was free to roam the outdoors as she wished.

The Cavallone Don himself stood off to the side, still grinning stupidly. Oh, he wishes he had a camera for that moment. She had an expression that was stuck between bewildered surprise and elation, and it was the funniest mixture Dino had ever encountered. She had even looked slightly cross-eyed when she was balancing some of the plates. The bruises all along his midsection and his back were well worth the humorous moment that had occurred just a few moments before.

He figured she wouldn't be so much of a burden after all. It's been a while since he had been able to laugh in such a carefree manner.

"Did you hear me, Cavallone?" Hibari slammed his tonfa into Dino's shoulder, effectively breaking off all of Dino's happy thoughts.

"Ow, Kyoya!" Dino whined. He was stalling, Hibari realized. And for even trying, he slapped Dino around until the blond begged for forgiveness and mock sparred back with him. Hibari wasn't quite in the mood to get serious with sparring though. For one, he was feeling rather sleepy, as he had been woken up by the atrocious noise of the Haneuma laughing this morning. Hibari had been planning on sleeping right through lunch too. For seconds, he only had one tonfa available to parry the playful incoming blows. His other one was currently occupied with keeping Moriko on a leash.

"Oi! HIBARI BASTARD, let her go right now you piece of shit!"

Hibari growled as Moriko looked up interestedly, mouthing the words that Gokudera had just uttered. He leaned over and tapped her lightly on the head: a warning. "Don't repeat any of those, or I'll bite you to death." She nodded quickly before turning back to playing with Hibari's tonfa, tugging at the chains and running her hands along the smooth metal.

All at once, she was out of his grasp, bounding towards Gokudera. She collided into the man, letting out a yelp as he buckled underneath her.

Hibari arched one eyebrow as Dino's face turned curiously red. When the blond caught his eye but chose to turn away, offering no explanation, Hibari vowed silently that he would get down to the bottom of this matter, even if it meant beating it out of Dino himself.

"Oi, Kyoya...Hey, stop! I thought you had no- OW! Come on, Kyoya, let me get ready first! Kyoya!"

Amidst the frantic dodging and cursing, Hibari swore Dino's eyes constantly flickered back to rest on Moriko.

* * *

How pathetic. She was jealous of a turtle.

Enzo was Dino's partner. How could she not be jealous? Dino was so immediately aware of all of Enzo's needs, even though he was only a turtle. Scratch that, Enzo wasn't even completely a turtle! He was part monster, just like she was! There really wasn't anything different between the two of them, but Enzo was just...Enzo, and he was close to Dino and she wasn't allowed to be. Enzo got to constantly be on the receiving end of Dino's kind smiles, while she got to see his strained, nervous expressions, annoyed expressions, disgusted expressions. Well, this morning was quite a change, but she was far from content. She had had to work so hard for just that one burst of laughter, and yet Enzo didn't do anything but crawl around and eat the leaves off Dino's ornamental bushes.

She sighed, and flipped Enzo over onto his back once more, watching as he waved his legs confusedly in the air. The turtle snapped angrily at her fingers when she giggled and rocked him back and forth, making him even more disorientated. Dino and Hibari-san sat off to the side, underneath an umbrella. Hibari-san had a book in hand, and was lazily flicking through the pages with a cup of Japanese green tea in his other hand. He was dressed in a comfortable yukata, which Moriko had admired with wide eyes. It was almost like Hibari-san was wearing a _dress_, although she didn't have the courage to say that to his face.

Dino was dressed casually in a shirt and a pair of jeans. He was working on some papers, occasionally glancing up to ask Hibari-san for some advice. Hibari-san always replied in curt, short answers, never once looking up from his novel. She could hear snatches of their conversation before the short breeze whisked their words away.

"...financial support, Kyoya. This family's...ing for the famous type...ould I just call them up or something?"

"Work it out yourself, Haneuma."

"But you're more organized, Kyoya!"

"I'll bite you to death." She perked up at the word 'bite', but Hibari, as if catching onto her intentions, cast her a disapproving gaze. She flopped back down and went back to spinning poor Enzo around, until the turtle had little to no sense of direction left.

She was just about to drop off to sleep in the hazy warmth of the afternoon when the silent forest behind her exploded to life.

Dino dropped his pen and let out a yelp in surprise as a flock of panicked birds took to the sky, squawking and bumping into each other in their haste to get away. Hibari put his book down and frowned at the scene. The fluttering, panicked birds had long slashes on their right wings, and they were only barely able to take to the air with the power of their left wings. They were evidently scared off by something.

Blood tipped feathers fluttered down into Dino's garden as the flock passed overhead.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Gokudera paced the length of the lab. The Cavallone scientists watched him warily; the short-tempered Vongola Storm often took to breaking things when he was agitated. With expensive equipment all around him, they were ready to sedate him with tranquilizer if necessary.

"Continue with the analysis." Gokudera waved dismissively at them before stomping out of the room to check that his Jyuudaime was alright.

"Jyuudaime?" He found Tsuna five minutes later, sitting against the corridor wall. The Vongola Decimo had his head between his knees, his breath coming in short pants. A thin gleam of cold sweat coated the back of his neck, and Gokudera hurriedly snapped at the staff to grab a towel for him. Running over, the silverette gently patted Tsuna on his back.

"What's wrong, Jyuudaime?"

"I have a really bad headache. I don't know how it started, it just did. And now I'm a little dizzy, but I think I'll be alright in a few." Gokudera winced as the Decimo took deep breaths. Tsuna did have a lot of headaches, mainly because of the people he had to deal with on a day-to-day basis. But this time, it seemed a little worse. Gokudera grabbed the offered cloth from a nearby maid and laid it gently against Tsuna's neck. The shorter male's breathing was getting better, and he found enough strength to look up and smile weakly at his right hand man.

"Don't worry, Gokudera. I get headaches often so I'm used to this. It's just a little sudden this time. I wonder what caused it; the past few days have been relatively stress free without Onii-san's screaming and Mukuro lurking around..."

A sudden shout of alarm startled the both of them. Tsuna shot to his feet, only to groan and sway.

"Don't worry, Jyuudaime! You stay here and I'll go and see what's wrong!" Gokudera raced out of the room, grabbing random people on the way and instructing them to watch the Vongola Decimo, who had stayed behind in one of the corridors.

_If this is a false alarm, I'll have the idiot Dino's head on a platter! _He thought savagely to himself, taking sharp turns, ears straining to remember which direction the shout had come from.

"Oi, Dino! You made me abandon the Tenth just for this stupid reas-...mmgh!" Dino quickly clapped a hand over Gokudera's mouth, pointing towards the vampire.

Hibari watched with narrowed eyes as Moriko paced along the brick wall, growling underneath her breath. He could see that she was panicked about something, but had instinctively decided to stand her ground against whatever scared her. Her fists were clenched, and from the restless pacing he could see that she was raring for a fight. What's more, she seemed to be responding to something from the forest. After every long growl she let out, a breeze seemed to rustle the leaves of the forest, almost as if it was responding to her language.

Gokudera stilled as well, curiously observing the UMA's movements.

"Is it just me, or does she look almost scared?" He murmured to Hibari. Hibari nodded in affirmation.

Without warning, she leapt up, teetering on the brick wall. Her footsteps were light against the familiar material underneath her feet. She did a few flips and a cartwheel, waiting for a response from the forest. The forest stayed silent. It was only when she swung her leg down to touch the forest floor that it responded.

_Crash!_ A tree fell suddenly, falling right onto the spot where she had been. Dino watched with wide eyes. There had been no strong breeze, nobody hacking at the tree. It was a sturdy, big one, with trunks thicker than the diameter of the table, and yet it had just suddenly fallen. The scene both startled and terrified Dino. What was going on in this world? It's almost like the emergence of another force at work. Was it another supernatural creature at work? _Is this what had been watching me from the forest the other night? So it wasn't Moriko all along? _If he thought more about it, she should've been close to town the night Dino had been sure something had watched his every movements. So his stalker wasn't the curious vampire after all. It was something powerful, sinister, _ancient._

"Get back here!" Dino yelled.

Moriko yanked her foot back just as the tree moved again, scraping dangerously close to her perch on the red brick wall. Another warning. _He _was testing her tenacity, daring her to run back into the forest. If she tried anything, _he _would surely crush her.

Without another sound, she quickly leapt back and ran back to the safety of Hibari's shadow, quivering slightly. The raven-haired male put one reassuring hand on her head, still scrutinizing the forest with an unreadable expression on his face.

There was no way she could match up to _his_ strength. But even so, she was willing to fight for Dino.

Her eyes went to Dino every few seconds, just to see if he was still here next to her.

* * *

"Did you get anything on the camera?" Dino asked anxiously.

"No, sir, nothing." The technician had dutifully recorded the time and events from the afternoon in the garden, but apart from the toppled tree and the bloody feathers all over Dino's garden, there was nothing to show that anything was out of place at all. The day had returned to being peaceful and serene, and the forest had gone back to being 'normal', teeming with noises of insects and small animals.

Dino sighed, before leaving the rest of the interrogation to Hibari, who was scowling at the monitor.

The blond was left to wonder the house, pondering about what had happened. Although that particular moment had given him a strong sense of foreboding, there was nothing outside right now that suggested anything had gone amiss. It was confusing, to say the least, and Dino was completely sure that this had been the fault of the vampire some way or another.

He decided to go talk to her, and sort some things out. This would be beneficial for the investigation anyway. He had gotten a call a few days ago from Reborn, stating that things had become more serious. The slash on the neck had been a lead after all, as more people are starting to show up at the hospital with unidentifiable slashes. And what's worse, most of the people had been attacked right when they were sleeping, waking up with bloodied pillows. The increasing frequency of attacks was causing general panic among the people, because they all thought that this was some kind of freak cult working against the government or something. As of now, there were no trends in people being attacked. Young and old, successful and poor, it seems everyone was being targeted.

Upon reaching her room, he couldn't help the blush that crept onto his face. The last time he had stepped into this room's premises, he had almost been mind scarred with the vampire's unknowingly innocent ways. Nonetheless, he rapped smartly on the door and waited for her to come and open it before stepping into what she now regarded as a safe haven.

"D...Dino!" She smiled widely at him. She was still dressed in the summer dress that the maid had given her this morning, and she smelt faintly of damp earth. Dino quickly glanced at her leg to make sure that nothing had gotten injured, and was relieved to see pale, unmarked flesh. She shifted awkwardly under his scrutinizing gaze.

"Hibari!" Something chirped from her fingers. Dino started, before snorting with quiet laughter when Hibird peeped out from between her fingers. Moriko wordlessly stroked the fluff on Hibird's head to calm the little canary down, before backing defensively away from Dino when he turned his gaze back to her.

"I came to talk to you about something."

"The forest, isn't it?" She responded quietly. Dino narrowed his eyes. _The forest? _

"Um...yes." He mumbled, and she turned to face the balcony nervously. The windows were still open, but she quickly crossed the room and slammed the balcony door shut. Drawing the curtains across the glass, she made sure that nothing and nobody would be able to look in before sitting on the edge of the bed and looking expectantly at Dino. Dino coughed and ran a hand through his hair, unsure of how to start. It was awkward, seeing her so serious. Just a few moments before, she had been happy, painfully clueless and very curious about her surroundings. The sudden change in attitude was unnerving.

"It's dangerous. The forest can hear us. _He_ can hear us." She started quietly. She put emphasis on the 'he' with venomous acidity in her voice, and Dino could definitely hear the plain loathing. Whatever or whoever 'he' was, 'he' scared her, and that was enough to worry Dino.

She trembled with unspoken fears, and Dino had the sudden urge to put his arms around her and comfort her. He wrote it off as his stupidly kind instincts, placing himself carefully at the edge of the bed next to her. She wasn't looking at him, like she usually does. She wrung her hands, twisting the bed sheets in her grasp nervously.

"Dino, you can't ever go into the forest, because he's going to kill you." She stated fervently, suddenly clasping her hands over his and looking deep into his eyes.

_I've never realized how strange and...and how beautiful her eyes look. _He blinked and looked away uncomfortably.

"Dino, did you listen to what I said?" She quipped, getting a little worried. There was Dino, acting all weird around her. She frowned and patted his blond locks tentatively, calling his name and asking him to face her.

"There you go again! You're always so...close! It's weird, alright?" Dino gasped, unable to take the tension anymore. He was the one supposed to be doing the interrogating, and yet she...she was...She was flinching away from him and drawing away to the farther corner of the bed. He had scared her with his suddenly harsh words. Dino sighed and ran his hands through his hair once more, a gesture that she had learnt to recognize when he was feeling upset or agitated about something.

"You're so mean, Dino." She stood abruptly.

"If you don't want me here, just promise me you won't go into the forest, and I'll leave you alone, okay?" It was breaking her heart, asking Dino to do this. There was a chance that he would actually just tell her to leave, but she was ready to do as he asked. "I tried so hard to be normal, to behave like humans, and only Hibari-san knows that I've been trying hard! I wish...I wish you would just..." She sniffed, wiping away the liquid that had started flowing out of her eyes. She stared at them curiously. Was this what it mean to feel sadness? This uncomfortable clenching in her heart? What would it feel like to be truly happy and loved then? Would it be just as potent, just as strong?

Dino panicked. "Wha...hey, I never said anything about sending you away! I'm just frustrated, and you sticking around isn't helping much...no wait, I didn't mean to word it like that! Moriko!"

But it was too late, she was running out of the room and turning blindly down the corridors. She was truly lost within Dino's estate premises, but she knew she would be able to get out somehow. Then she would set off for the town. At least the people were nicer there. At least they didn't understand that she was a monster. At least she could pass of as a real human around them!

"Wait!" Dino's desperate cry came from behind her, and she felt something grab onto her arm. She let out a startled scream as they both went tripping down one of the stairs. She landed heavily on her back, most of the impact cushioned by Dino's arm underneath her. She crawled upright and stared worriedly at the male who was groaning beneath her. Crawling away, she huddled against the wall and bit her lip nervously. Did she hurt Dino? If so, then should she punish herself?

Dino sat up and took a minute to orientate himself to his surroundings once more. Upon spotting her crouched against the wall, looking as if she wanted to run away, he hesitantly approached her once more.

"Sorry about that. I tend to be a little clumsy sometimes, for reasons I don't even know." He offered her a smile. "Truce. I'll get you something to eat and we can talk about what happened, alright? I'll explain my edgy behavior as well. I hope you'll forgive me." He offered one hand to her and was immensely relieved when she chose to take the hand, letting him pull her up. When he spun her around to push her in the direction of the kitchen, he gasped upon seeing the small of her back. There was an angry line of red skin, no doubt caused by the fall just earlier.

"Hey, sorry about this." He ran one hand along her back and she shivered involuntarily. Dino's touch was _warm_. It was warm, unlike the coldness that had settled in her heart over the years of living alone.

* * *

They found themselves back in the dining room, the room where she had saved Dino's cutlery. Dino had smiled widely upon coming into the room, remembering her expression and the situation that they had both in. Although his arms painfully throbbed at the memory of Hibari's beating, he couldn't help but admit that today had been one of the most carefree days he had spent.

"So, Moriko...why did you choose to come to my place?" Her heart skipped a beat every time he turned his boyish grin on her. The atmosphere between the two of them had increased significantly, and the blush still lingered on her face from when Dino had decided to apologetically rub bruise cream into her back to help it heal faster.

She stuffed a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth to avoid answering the question right away. Dino had thought it childish at first, but he had come out of the kitchen with two unopened tubs of ice cream, offering one to her. Ever since he was small, he had realized that eating ice cream helped him calm down and feel happier when he was feeling down, so he had thought the same would work for the vampire. He had half been expecting her to turn it down with the excuse of 'loosing weight' or 'keeping her figure' or whatnot, but to his surprise, she had dug in heartily, finishing half the tub within three minutes. She had then declared loudly that Dino's food was good, so he had laughingly got her another tub. Three tubs later, he was sure he would have to put in an order for a whole new shipment of ice cream to placate the vampire, who was now completely addicted to the stuff. Good thing he owned a creamery.

"Um...I've been living in the forest all my life. So sometimes, I can see you from the forest." She responded quietly. He could tell that she didn't really want to talk about this subject, so didn't pry. Instead, he cheerily nodded before leaning over to pinch a little bit of her ice cream.

She blushed cutely and ducked behind the carton to try and cool her cheeks down. Dino chuckled, before freezing. Did he just think that she was cute?

_Well, she isn't entirely unattractive._ Dino reasoned with himself, his own cheeks turning a faint pink. _She does have quite a few nice qualities about her. The only problem is..._ "Is that you're a vampire." He declared confidently, making her frown in confusion. He chuckled and leaned over to pat her on the head gently. "Not that I hold it against you or anything. It just takes time wrapping my head around the concept."

She nodded, but the burning sensation in her cheeks wouldn't go away. Was she becoming sick or something?

If so, then another spoonful of ice cream quickly cured her.

* * *

**A/N: **Last update before school starts, gah! Thanks to those who stuck with me and reviewed the previous chapter: ** 18, RainyDaes, kimichee **and **Msdgirl**! Thanks to all those who followed and favorited as well!

Once again, please review! It'll only take a little bit of your time, and I really would like to know how you guys think of the story progress so far!


	8. Chapter 7: Nightwatch

The days passed by uneasily for the blond Cavallone boss.

The feeling came back with a vengeance every time he was getting ready for bed. There was something watching him from the forest, of that he had no doubt. But every morning, when he went to check on the surveillance records, there would be nothing there. As if it was a phantom stalker. What made it even worse was that the relationship between the Cavallone and the Ventura Familgia was slowly worsening. The Ventura Famiglia had immediately blamed the Cavallone for the disappearance of one of their men. Seeing as it had happened because of Moriko, it really wasn't far off the mark. Although, Dino secretly believed that the men deserved it. If they found Moriko in the brothel, then there were no questions as to what the men were trying to do to her. It's a good thing she could protect herself.

Moriko herself was getting more and more accustomed to the life of luxury at the Cavallone mansion. She was always polite to the maids who had helped her, eventually learning to call all of them by their names rather than address them as 'maids' and 'butlers'. She was extremely wary of some incredibly mundane things, much to Dino's amusement. She seemed terrified of the shower nozzle, for some reason, as Maid Irelia had informed him of one day.

Out of all the people that she had met so far, she had become the closest with Gokudera. One day, she had taken him to a part of the garden that even Dino had never ventured in before. Although Gokudera had been unsure about what was happening at the time, he came back into the mansion flushed and chattering excitedly, with a drenched Moriko by his side. He then started blathering about how he had seen and gotten to name a real alien, to which Tsuna could only smile weakly and nod his approval.

So it was with a lot of teary and melodrama on Gokudera's part as they had said goodbye. Even Moriko had gotten a little worked up, hugging Gokudera and promising that she would show him more green people in the sky if he brought her more peanut butter sandwiches.

Hibari, surprisingly, had opted to stay behind. He mentioned something about the baby's orders and biting the criminals to death because Dino was incompetent at hunting them down, and Dino had just accepted his reasons and set up a guest room for the aloof skylark to stay in for an indefinite amount of time. Hibari was a good friend and a valuable asset to Dino, so he really had no objection on the matter. And there was also the fact that Hibari seemed to know how Moriko felt almost all the time, and was able to teach her about the ways of humans, and for that Dino was already feeling grateful.

He ignored the spear of jealousy that drove through his heart every time he saw Hibari talking softly to Moriko, the woman hanging onto every word that came out of the skylark's mouth.

* * *

It was just another afternoon, sunny and boring. Hibari was in the pagoda, Moriko with him, and he was apparently patiently teaching her how to read. Even from his study, with his windows thrown open for the breeze to sweep through every so often, ruffling his papers and tousling his hair. He could hear the gentle clinks of metal from when she said something wrong; no doubt Hibari 'adjusting' her ways with his tonfa.

After signing what felt like the millionth sheet of paper, Dino decided to take a break. He stood and stretched languidly, a content sigh leaving his mouth. Sweeping up his cup of breakfast tea, he makes his way out of the office and decides to join the duo in the garden below.

"No, this says 'Namimori'. Say it slowly. 'Na- mi- mo- ri-..'" Hibari sighed in frustration as Moriko stuttered over the name a few times, her face turning red with embarrassment. Never mind that it was a word she was trying to read, it was the name of Hibari-san's favorite place in the world and she was sure she was butchering the word painfully.

"Namimori." Dino teasingly replied, sliding next to the stuttering girl. If possible, the blush on the vampire's face turned even darker, and she started stuttering even more. Hibari gave him an annoyed look before turning to observe the vampire's reaction carefully.

"Do you like him?" He asked suddenly.

Hibari's bluntness was ripping a hole in her heart. She gaped and gasped a few times, trying to hide her face behind her fingers. She hadn't expected to face this question quite so soon! Luckily for Dino, the man didn't have a clue what they were talking about, and assumed that she was talking about something else.

"What, who? Who do you like again? Come on, Kyoya, let me in on the gossip! By the way, I never pegged you for the gossipy housewife type, Kyoya! Ahahah~"

Hibari narrowed his eyes at Dino and swung his tonfa at him. The man dodged swiftly and held up his leather whip to block the attack, resulting in a crisp '_smack!_' that resulted from the joining of the two weapons. They jumped up and faced each other with obviously competitive eyes, but before they could jump into a flurry of blows, they had both realized that Moriko had jumped up to watch the two of them with rather hungry eyes.

Hibari smirked. If the two of them had decided to duke it out right here, it would be an interesting battle to watch. Better yet, Hibari could join in the fighting and he would have _two_ opponents to go against. It would be another one of his exciting free for all brawls, and that would be perfect for relieving himself of the stress that had been doggedly clinging to his mind for the past few days. Teaching was a stressful occupation, he had just found out, especially when the scenery around the two of them easily distracted his student. Although Hibari had a suspicion that she wasn't distracted so much as she was being wary of the forest behind them. Since that day, even Hibari had been a little jumpy around the forest, taking care to be extra cautious when he decides to walk the gardens himself. If he believed in ghosts and paranormal things, he would've even believed that there was a demon or something of equally malicious intent watching him from the dark forest.

"Hey, Kyoya, let's go for some ice cream in the dining room!" Dino quickly said. He had noticed the hungry gleam in the vampire's eyes as well, and so far, if he didn't want to be bitten by either of the individuals in front of him, the best situation was to get ice cream.

"No." Hibari refused flatly.

"Yes!" Moriko jumped up and faced Dino eagerly, only to be dragged back down into her seat by a very annoyed Hibari.

"Perhaps after you learn to properly pronounce all the cities of Japan. We can start from the top, with Tokyo." Hibari growled when Moriko squirmed uncomfortably and sighed, evidently already distracted from the task at hand. He was quick to correct her atrocious learning attitude with a swipe to the head, which she didn't bother dodging. Turning serious, she went back to quietly mouthing the words on her paper, tracing the characters with her fingers. Hibari, already recognizing it as the way she learns languages, left her to finish off and glared heatedly at the blond for even thinking of distracting her from her learning.

"Mah, it was just a harmless little suggestion." Dino laughed defensively, before scratching his head and craning his neck longingly in the direction of the mansion. "Although, would you prefer it if I brought some out here?"

"Fine." Hibari responded tightly.

"Flavors?"

"Green tea." Hibari murmured, his attention already back on the book in his hands.

Moriko looked up. She hadn't thought Hibari-san was the type to eat ice cream, but that just made him even more relatable in her eyes. She smiled at him, and Hibari glared at her to get back to her work.

"Moriko, what flavors do you want? If I recall, you seem to like...every single flavor I've given you." He laughed, scratching his head. It was true. No matter what he placed in front of the vampire, she devoured it eagerly, even when it was 'tofu ice cream', which was Dino's personal least favorite. She had quickly gone through all of the tofu ice cream stock, which Dino was secretly grateful for.

"Strawberry cheesecake." She mumbled quietly, still trying to appear concentrated on her work. Dino grinned and ruffled her hair, with Hibari growling at him in warning when Moriko's head dipped with the contact. Dino raised his head and smirked before sauntering back to the mansion to get the cold treats.

* * *

Moriko sighed contentedly when she finished memorizing the names of major cities in Japan. Everything Hibari taught her seemed to revolve around the country, and once when he had been in a better mood, he had even told her that he would take her to Japan one day to show her the true splendor of the country. She had been startled at first, since she had not known that there were other countries out there. Her eyes had grown wide when she realized that Italy was just a small country in the midst of many other, big countries that jostled for space on the globe. Even more amazing was how small her forest was. It wasn't even on the map! The information gave her both hope and wonder. Wonder for all the things she had yet to explore, and hope because this means that _his _territory wasn't as big as she had initially thought. _He _was going to stay in the forest for a while longer, he had told her, gathering his strength.

She shivered involuntarily. It was uncomfortable, being so close to _him_, but she was going to stay close to Dino, because...because she did like him.

"Concentrate, herbivore." Another tap on the head, and she was back to dipping her head obediently at the book and mouthing the Japanese words. When it came to other languages, Hibari never seemed to care when she messed up, but for Japanese words and places, he seemed to get more and more frustrated the more mistakes she made, and that upset her.

"FOOD BREAK!" Dino yelled into the pagoda, dumping the three tubs in front of their respective owners. Moriko jumped at the loud volume, and even Hibari had to wince on her behalf.

"Quiet, Cavallone." Vongola's Cloud hissed, before pulling his green tea ice cream closer and neatly cracking open the lid. He took the spoon Dino offered him, neatly coiling a strip of the ice cream and placing it in his mouth. Contrary to the popular belief, Hibari Kyoya did have the occasional sweet tooth, though he usually quenched it by eating traditional Japanese sweets and snacks. This time, there weren't any of those snacks on hand, so he had to settle for green tea ice cream.

Dino stared knowingly at Kyoya. "Homesick?"

"None of your business." Hibari snapped back.

Dino then turned his attention to the vampire. "Eat up!"

She cast a nervous glance at Hibari, before looking longingly at the ice cream sitting right in front of her. She shook her head slowly. She still had around fifteen more cities to remember before she could even think about touching her snack. But apparently Hibari was in a good mood today.

"Your ice cream is going to melt, herbivore."

She smiled and took that as permission to dig in.

"You're eating awfully slowly today, Moriko." Dino watched as the jumpy girl put another spoonful in her mouth eagerly, as if to prove him wrong. But even as he watched, her eyes were sliding back to observe the forest, and she would freeze whenever she saw the trees, almost as if her eyes had made contact with something. When Dino turned to look at whatever she was looking at, there was never anything there. It was just...leaves. And trees. And nature. It was getting up to the point where even Dino was getting a little concerned with her behavior.

"What's wrong? No more trees are going to fall on you, you know." Dino smiled reassuringly at her, but she only flinched at the mention of the toppling tree. Dino patted her lightly on the shoulder. "You'll be fine, now finish up. I think Kyoya-sensei is eager to finish his lesson."

"I'm done for today. You teach her." Hibari announced suddenly, standing and stepping towards the mansion. Dino spluttered.

"Hey, Kyoya! She's your student! You..." Upon seeing Moriko's slightly hurt expression, he clamped his mouth shut and sat opposite her, in the seat that Hibari had occupied earlier. He cracked a smile upon seeing that he was lecturing her on the complete history of Namimori. He picked up the book and quickly skimmed through the basic facts so that he had some foundation of what to teach. He froze when he came across the 'Major Crimes' section. The pictures there...seemed familiar. Almost as if they belonged to the case he was currently working on. But according to the captions below the pictures, they had happened nearly 300 years ago.

"Throughout Namimori's history, the town has been deemed one of the most peaceful in its region. Throughout the years, only a few major crimes have wracked the city, and even so they were quickly closed with help from the Hibari family, who have, for generations, been in charge of the town's security and wellbeing." Dino started reading. He smiled upon seeing Hibari's family name mentioned. No guesses as to where Hibari's highly protective nature came from. It was quite literally inborn.

Moriko sighed silently and settled down to listen to Dino. She laid her head on her crossed hands, wishing that he would look her way just once. He seemed focused on the book, and she didn't have the heart to break his concentration, seeing as he had found something important for him to read. Still, it was nice enough being so close to him. If only she could get closer.

She blushed. What was she thinking? She should be grateful for what she has already! A vampire shouldn't be too greedy; otherwise she would eventually be left with nothing at all. But still, as she watched Dino's lips part and form words, she couldn't help but run her own finger over her own lips. She still remembered that fleeting kiss that she had shared with Dino on the night of his twenty-second birthday. She could still remember the gentleness of his lips on hers, the way he pulled away almost immediately as if she disgusted him. The way he looked at her with such shock, disbelieving that she had the nerve to kiss him. As much as the memory hurt her, she wanted to keep it in her heart, locked safely in an area where she wanted all her favorite memories go to. There weren't many, and most of them involved Dino.

She sighed again. She would definitely be able to make happier memories, that was for sure. There was already unspoken acceptance of her existence from Dino's part. But would he accept her earning to become human?

"Listen to this! Listen!" Dino was getting excited for some reason.

"Okay, so here it talks about how the Namimori police...blah blah blah...skip up to this part and read from here." He pushed the book across towards her and tapped the top of the paragraph, urging her to read. She skimmed the paragraph before tears welled up in her eyes from frustration. She rubbed them away angrily but they kept falling. Dino was startled into silence.

"It's so hard to be human!" She wailed, before burying her head in her arms more and shaking with her sobs. Dino patted her back, slightly bewildered, a sheepish grin on his face.

"I...I forgot you couldn't read that well...I'm sorry." He whispered. And although his words may come across as slightly insensitive, mocking her lack of ability, she could hear the sincerity in Dino's voice. And right now, the only thing that mattered to her was the feeling of Dino's comforting hand on her back, and hearing the lilting, apologetic tone in his voice. "There, there. I'll teach you more, then it surely won't be that hard, right? How about I read this to you? Come here."

Moriko lifted her head and blushed when he patted his lap. She crawled over to him, a little hesitant in letting his arms wrap around her. _Isn't this what I wanted? But his body language is wrong. It's almost as if he views me as a young child, or pet. _But her complaints soon flew out of the window when Dino nestled her comfortably against his chest, bringing her arms around her shoulders to hold the book out in front of her. When he started to read, she tried to follow the words as best as she could, sincerely wanting to learn the language of humans. But it was hard, with Dino's chest vibrating comfortably with each of his syllables, making her catch her breath. She could only place her hands gently against his arms and pretend that this was a lover's embrace, and hope that Dino couldn't hear the thunderous pounding of her quickened heartbeat.

* * *

"Tsuna, there's something that happened similar to the case we worked on 300 years ago. What's more, it happened in Namimori. It can't be a coincidence, can it? There must be something that connects that incident to ours! You know what they say about studying history right? We study history so as not to repeat any past mistakes!"

Tsuna rubbed his eyes sleepily at the call. Truthfully, he had only managed to catch brief snatches of the conversation. It was hard, with the time difference between Italy and Japan, to receive these calls. And Dino had been too excited at whatever he had found to take into account the time difference, so Tsuna had found himself having to pick up the phone at 2 am in the morning. He yawned and tried not to let Dino hear it, but the man must've picked something up from his unresponsiveness.

"Oh...Tsuna...? Woah, wait I forgot, it must be like 1 in the morning or something!"

"Two." Tsuna mumbled, slightly disgruntled.

"Oh...sorry. I mean, I can always call you again tomorrow. It's not like Hibari's 'The Complete History of Namimori' will run away at night or something, leaving us devoid of all evidence. Although Moriko might eat it or something." Dino chuckles, his laughter coming over staticky and broken up.

"Never mind, I'm awake now, Dino-san. What were you saying again?" Tsuna sat up and yawned, stretching and turning on his bedroom light, before walking over to the bathroom and splashing some cold water on his face. He kept the phone pressed to one ear, careful not to get any water on the device.

"Tsuna, did you study the history of Namimori's crimes in one of your classes before?" Tsuna shook his head, before remembering that Dino wouldn't be able to see the action from over the phone.

"Uh...if we have...then I haven't really paid much attention to it, Dino-san." He laughed slightly before he was rudely cut off by a kick to the face.

"OW! Reborn! What? Why are you in my room?"

"Shut up, Dame-Tsuna, and put idiot Dino on speaker. If my idiot student has actually managed to find something relevant, then I want to hear it."

"Can you hear me? Tsuna?" Dino had started sounding frantic. Over the phone he had only been able to catch Tsuna's yell of pain before the phone had been flung from the brunette's shoulders and he hadn't been able to hear anything else.

"Yea, we can hear you. Just hurry up and start talking. Don't think that just because I'm in Japan, I won't be able to punish you for wasting my time." The sound of a gun cocking made Dino swallow nervously before starting to ramble on about slashes and weird cults and one of Namimori's toughest crimes which Hibari's great, great grandfather had to solve or something.

"Dame-Dino! Slow down." Tsuna allowed himself a small smile. For once, the 'Dame' title had not gone to him. He was promptly kicked in the face and told to stop being so egotistic.

"Ow, Reborn, jeez. Dino-san, could you please start from the beginning?"

Dino took a deep breath. "Alright, so basically I was teaching Moriko how to read this morning, and we came across an article that was really interesting. Kyoya had brought one of his historical volumes over and he had left it open on the page about previous major crimes that have happened in Namimori. And so Moriko and I started reading about it, when we found out that there's a series of crimes that happened 300 years ago that's exactly like our case. Except many people thought it was something spiritual or paranormal because their technology didn't give them adequate information to find whom the real culprit is."

"Dino-san..." Tsuna trailed off, deep in thought before he could finish his line of thought. Reborn didn't seem to mind this, as he was pacing the windowsill like a caged tiger himself. It was one of his first and foremost policies to leave the Mafia problems to his students to solve, as he believed this was the best way for them to improve. However, this case has piqued his interest as well, especially with the most recent piece of news. Reborn had known all along that a similar case had happened 300 years ago. What he was worried about now was the way the message had been delivered.

"Dame-Tsuna, think harder about this. How did Dino find out about this again?"

"Eh?" Came Dino's muffled voice from over the receiver. Tsuna frowned and stared at the phone in his hand as if it would give him the answer.

"Idiot Dino, be quiet. Let Dame-Tsuna figure this out."

"Um...well, he said he read it in a book..."

"Which book." _Thud_.

"Ow, Reborn! It hurts alright! Just let me think! I know I'm a bit slow sometimes, but still. Uhm...He got it from Hibari-san's book. About Namimori's history or something. Wait..." Tsuna's frown deepened as his hyper intuition spiked. _Hibari-san's book..._

He gasped. "Wait, Hibari-san's working on this case too! He's seen all the files that Dino and I have gone through! And Hibari-san's usually sharper than both of us put together..." Tsuna ignored the indignant splutter from Dino's end as he let the phone clatter to the floor in shocked revelation. "Doesn't that mean Hibari-san should've seen the article first? And he would've realized before us? Why didn't he just tell us straight away? It would've made things so much easier, wouldn't it have? And yet, he chose to let Dino-san find out himself by leaving the book open at the right page..."

"...hey...What are you guys talking about? Hey? Don't ignore me!" The phone was promptly silenced as Reborn tossed it casually back into it's cradle before turning to Tsuna and nodding grimly.

"Hibari-san's hiding something from us."

* * *

Three hesitant knocks.

She could hear his breathing from her side of the door, and it was a steady strong rush of air, without Dino's signature light snores. He wasn't asleep yet.

"Come in." He sounded weary, and that was enough to put him on alert.

"It's me, Sylvana Moriko." She liked her last name. She wondered why nobody used it much. Maybe it was another weird custom of humans to call each other by half of their names. She made a mental note to ask Hibari-san tomorrow. He'll have the answer. He always had the answer.

"Oh, Moriko! Why aren't you asleep yet?" Dino's voice drifted from inside the room. It sounded light, distracted, and she knew he wasn't particularly concerned about her bedtime. The thought made her want to pout angrily, but she chose to bite her lip angrily instead. She was being addressed like a child, that much was clear. True, she may have a child's knowledge of the human world, but she was certain she had been on this planet for around 20 years. Perhaps she had better knowledge of the wilderness than Dino or Hibari-san. She lived at one with nature for twenty years, after all.

Biting back a smart retort (a by-product of Gokudera's absentminded mutterings while working), she opened the door quietly.

His room was full of warm light, chasing the darkening shadows away. She warily studied the corners, where the darkness seemed to have doubled in on itself in effort not to be touched by the light. If she wasn't careful, _he _could be inside Dino's room right now, although she was sure this line of thought was just a result of her overreacting imagination. _He_ wasn't strong enough to leave the forest yet, and he'd be staying there for a while longer.

Dino was sitting at his desk, piles of paper scattered before him. The heavy volume that he had been reading to her this morning lay cracked open before him. He was wearing a comfortable cotton shirt and loose sweatpants, his hair tousled messily. One hand rested on the desk, spinning his fountain pen. The other tapped the edge of his seat. He seemed to be deep in thought.

She was suddenly self-conscious. She wasn't wearing much besides her cotton nightgown and underwear underneath. The dress ended slightly above her knees, flowing comfortably around her stomach and waist. It was by far one of her favorite items of clothing, for she didn't have to wrestle with annoying scrap bits of dangly fabric, or blindingly multicolored buttons. The maids had shown her how to tie her hair up to keep it out of her face, and she had dutifully practiced this simple skill in the confines of her room until she had gotten something out of it. Now, her dark tresses were pulled back into a sloppy braid down her back. True, locks of hair were untied and tangled, and some of them looped wrongly into other strands, but she was proud of how she had progressed from the beginning. The comb had quickly become one of her favorite items as well.

She could smell his scent from where she stood uncertainly at his doorway. Dino smelt clean, fresh from the shower, the crisp tones of clear water accentuating the muskier scents underneath that must've come from whatever shampoo and body wash he had used.

When she wandered over to his side, partly to get a better whiff of his scent and partly to curiously poke at what he was so bent on working out, she could see the tattoos curling around his arm. The horse shape and flames shape made her smile slightly. Dino was a man of such character. He had such a nice voice, but he had the body and image of someone who was to be feared, respected. He looked presentable all the time, and yet was casual in attitude and nature.

Dino shuffled the papers out of her view and leaned back to give her a tired smile before standing. "I'm just about to go to bed, don't you nag about how hard I'm working too." He ruffled her hair gently and watched with familial fondness as she turned light pink in the face at the contact. She was really cute, like a little sister.

"I can't sleep." She replied honestly. She couldn't. Vampires were nocturnal creatures by nature, and so she really didn't sleep much at night. She could get by a whole by snatching a couple of hours at dawn, but the rest of the time she was restless. That, and she really needed some true sustenance. She needed some blood, and she had been too scared to go to Hibari-san for more, because she had been sure that he would fight her and make her work for it. Although she liked to think of herself as a hunter, she really preferred to get her food through easier means, ways that wouldn't have to make her suffer or make her hurt.

"And...I'm a little hungry." She finally mustered the courage to tell him.

Dino sighed and stretched. "Ice cream midnight snack?"

She shook her head and watched as the implications slowly sunk into his mind. "Oh. You mean you want some blood? Ah, I really have to remember to order some from the nearest blood bank. I'm sure they can spare a few packages for a hungry vampire, hahaha! Although, I think we I might need a license for that or something. Ugh, I can always tell them I'll be transferring it to Cavallone hospital...Um, can you hold out until tomorrow morning or something?"

She smiled inwardly. That was another Dino trait that she had come to understand. When Dino was tired or nervous, he talked a lot. Hibari-san had told her that humans did this a lot, so she had asked him why he never talked much. Hibari-san had glared at her before telling her that 'he didn't get nervous', which she found amazing.

"I'm really hungry, Dino. And when I'm hungry, I hunt. I don't really want you to see me when I hunt, be...because I turn...turn ugly. Like a monster." Dino nodded absentmindedly, already rolling up the sleeves to expose his arm. He could tell a servant to 'feed' her, but his house staff haven't figured out that she wasn't exactly human, and he had no intention of letting them know that he was housing a potentially dangerous being. The only logical course of action at this point was to let her bite him.

"Go ahead." He raised his eyebrow at her when she looked down and shuffled her feet.

"I...can I bite your neck?" She held her breath as he flushed.

"Oh, yea, uh, does the blood taste better there or something? Or maybe it's just easier for you to drink more hahah, I mean...sure, why not. Let me just...have some preparation, unlike last time when you know, you jumped me or something." Dino stammered, leading her to the bathroom and sitting at the edge of the bathtub. "It'll make less of a mess if blood spills or something." He chuckled nervously.

Truthfully, she could've just taken the offering from his arm. Internally she was torn. She cursed herself for being selfish, yet applauded her own bravery.

After a moment of contemplation, Dino decided to take his cotton shirt off altogether. This allowed her better access to his neck and to part of his shoulders as well, if she decided to follow the arteries to that area. Looking up, he saw that she was blushing profusely, her face turned away from him. To his surprise, it was a refreshing feeling. Other women would've been all over him by now, but Moriko was acting so...innocent.

"Drink up, miss vampire." He chuckled, patting the space beside him. Part of him knew that he was probably just leading her on, but he quickly shoved that thought away. _I'm not trying to flirt with her or anything. She's definitely not my type. She's more of a friend, a little sister. A pet even. I'm feeding her, aren't I? _Somehow, he sensed that if he opened his mouth to voice his opinion, he would hurt her. Judging from her efforts to become human, he really shouldn't be comparing her with animals. But why was she really trying so hard? If it had been Kyoya in her position, he would've utilized his strength and speed to his full potential. Kyoya would've reveled in the strength of an inhuman creature. He would've accepted his vampire bloodline without any fuss at all, and probably wouldn't have wanted to put himself on the level of 'humans' at all. He laughed lightly at the thought.

Finally, Moriko found the courage to sit in the indicated position, leaning against his shoulders slightly. She could hear the regular lub-dub of his heartbeat, and was tempted to press a palm against his chest to feel the beat better. The hunger gnawed at the edges of her mind, so without further thought, she sought out Dino's artery and sank her fangs lightly into his flesh. He jerked a little at the initial pain, but that was quickly soothed over. She was being especially careful this time, her fangs unmoving and the blood flowing out and into her mouth at a slower pace.

It was like being given an injection. It was like donating blood. She only took a little sip at a time, but the feeling of her lips against his skin made Dino want to shudder. His hand had unconsciously come up to play with her braid, occasionally pressing her head more firmly against the side of his neck. When she finally pulled away, Dino was almost disappointed.

He stared down at his hands, a little displeased at his own reaction. He must be thinking too much. He must be overworking and stressing a little. It wasn't a kiss or anything, but he had almost been tempted to run his own lips against her cheek, against her collarbone. If she got to taste him, then he had every right to taste her. When he looked up to meet her gaze once more, his eyes were dark and heated before he blinked the feeling out of his mind. In a second, her eyes shifted away down to look at his chest once more, and that's when he felt even worse. So she wasn't much different than any of the other women...

"What happened?"

"...e..Eh?" Dino looked down at the finger lightly jabbing one of the many scars on his chest. Her lips were tugged downwards slightly, a little bit of his blood still staining the edge of her mouth. Her tongue flicked out quickly to get rid of that little morsel.

"What do you mean what happened?" Dino sighed.

"You have painful bits." She told him, her finger moving to point out other scars.

Dino hurriedly tugged his shirt on before she could get a good look at some of his nastier marks. He had inadvertently given her a good look at some of the more painful memories that he held, some dark secrets that Dino was eager to keep to himself. Each look at the scars sent him down a dangerous memory lane excursion, and he wasn't about to explain to a vampire that the scars were from bullet wounds, from people cutting into him to get him to talk, from all the hostage situations that he had been in when he was little. Although his father had been a respectable man in terms of managing family business, finance and the wellbeing of his own men, sometimes he had no time for his son. Dino had often found himself bearing the brunt of his father's mistakes as people tortured him to get back at the ex-Cavallone Don, and it was just another reminder of how little time his father had spent together with him. It was fine in the end, Dino always told himself. His father had always managed to get him back, whether through paying the enemy or annihilating them with force.

"What happened, Dino?"

"Nothing." He snapped quickly. These were secrets that Romario didn't know fully, although Dino did suspect that his right hand knew about some of the situations he had been in.

Turning away from the vampire in front of him, Dino clenched his fist against the bathtub before plastering a forced smile on his face and getting up. "I'm going to bed now, why don't you go back to your own bedroom? You're full already right?"

"I don't want to go back to my own bedroom." She told him.

When Dino turned to give her another reassuring smile, she could see that he had reached his 'annoyed' stage. His smile was thin and slightly cold, and his knuckles had turned a little white with the force at which he was clenching his fist. She was a little surprised at how quickly his mood had shifted, but she supposed that exhaustion could do that to anyone. Exhaustion and hunger.

"I'm going to _bed_. You should too." He managed.

She shook her head, but before he could explode and yell at her, she flitted over to the balcony and pulled it open, sitting down on the cold tiles. The cold air hit her, and she tilted her head back to let the breeze wash over her shoulders. She felt Dino walk behind her, irritation still evident in the way his steps sounded heavier than usual. "What are you doing? It's cold here, Moriko. You don't want to catch a cold, and you shouldn't sit on my balcony at night. There could be assassins. The windows are bulletproof. I'll even tuck you in or something if you want."

_Stop treating me like a child. _

"_He's_ been watching you." She replied, stubbornly refusing to move from her spot. Dino plucked uselessly at her arm for a few moments before giving up.

"Fine." He spat. "You can stay out here. I'm going to sleep. Don't expect me to wake up to cuddle you or something."

_That hurt, Dino._ But she said nothing, instead turning to face the forest once more. Dino closed the balcony doors with a little more force than necessary, and drew the curtains across the glass doors. Upon second thought, he decided to pull the curtains back so that he could see if she did anything weird like jumping off the balcony or trying to sneak into his bed or something. He had left the balcony doors unlocked, just in case she changed her mind and decided to go back to her room or something. He was still fuming inside. She was unbelievably stubborn sometimes, and although she was soft spoken, she sometimes acted without regards as to what Dino wanted her to do. He was the boss of this house, not her. He shouldn't just let her run loose like a...like an _animal_.

Laying his head down on the pillow, he tried to close his eyes. Abruptly, the feeling of being watched washed over him again, and he opened his eyes blearily. But it was gone as soon as it came, which was unusual. He was used to having to be on guard every night, knowing that there was someone observing his every move. But tonight...

He opened his eyes blearily and blinked at the unmoving figure on his balcony. He could see that her shoulders had stiffened slightly. She was also trembling, out of fear or because of the weather, he wasn't sure. But in that moment, Dino knew that he was in the wrong once more. The vampire had her reasons for acting this way.

"_He's been watching you." _She had told him just a few moments before.

She was protecting him.

* * *

"Hey." His fingertips brushed her shoulder lightly. She shook her head.

"I'm not going inside. I'm going to stay outside. _I need to stay outside._ You can go to sleep. You looked tired, Dino."

"You can guard me from inside, can't you?" Dino chuckled lightly as she stubbornly shook her head once more, mumbling something about seeing _him _better when she was looking straight outside.

"How about I set up a chair for you by the balcony? That way you'll be warm, but you can also look outside. Come on, what kind of host am I to let my guest sleep outside? Just come on in. It's really warm. And I'll even have someone send up a cup of hot chocolate, if you like." When she didn't move, Dino sighed and scooped her up into his arms. She let out a whimper of protest and twisted uncomfortably in his arms, trying to get back to her previous sedentary position. Dino hurriedly stepped through the already opened balcony doors, tossing her lightly onto the bed before closing the door firmly. She was at the doors in an instant, pawing forlornly at the lock. Dino watched for a few amused seconds as she tried to figure out how his triple lock combination worked before he pulled over one of his comfier fireplace armchairs and pushed her firmly down into it.

"I'll grab you a blanket. You can stay there, alright? You can still see, can't you? It's glass." Dino rapped the door to prove his point before he tossed a blanket over at her. She curled up underneath the blanket, and he sighed in relief at her apparent compliance.

"Want any hot chocolate?"

"No..." After a second thought, she added a hesitant: "Thank you."

"Alright then. I'm off to bed." After another glance at her small, curled up form, he decided to dive under his covers and get some shut-eye.

As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

* * *

"_I'll get him eventually. You can't watch over him forever." _

"I sure am going to try." She retorted bravely, shuddering slightly as he let a little bit of his death intent creep all the way underneath the balcony doors to curl at her ankles. She bared her fangs quietly and he retracted his malicious aura immediately, chuckling.

"_Oh, little brave Vampire. You won't be stronger than me for much longer."_

"I'm improving too." She snarled, keeping the blanket close against her body. It smelt like Dino, and it gave her the strength to keep battling the sharp jabs in her mind. He hadn't made a move on Dino's mind yet, because he was scared of venturing into a human's mind; uncharted waters. But he was definitely familiar with hers, and he invaded her thoughts almost as easily her fangs penetrated through skin and flesh. Her hands clenched against the chair as he batted against her mental defense once more, wracking her mind with acute shards of pain.

"I could do this forever. You're not even making a dent." She murmured wearily.

_He _withdrew for the night, lingering chuckles lapping at her mental barrier. She shook her head to rid herself of his presence and stayed in that position, staring at the forest, until the warm tendrils of sunlight peeked over the horizon and she had to retreat to the inky shadows underneath her blanket.

* * *

When Dino woke up once more, he felt more refreshed and rested than he had all the other nights of the previous week combined. He stretched and yawned happily, before remembering the cause of his undisturbed night.

"Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead vampire." He poked at the quivering lump on the sofa. The sun shone strongly on his back, warming his body. The chilly night had been long forgotten, chased away by the familiarity of daylight. When there was no movement, he chuckled, remembering that vampires couldn't walk out into the sunlight so casually.

Lifting the blanket, he was faced with two slivery irises, blinking at the sudden flood of light and flickering with wariness. He smiled as she recoiled deeper into the blanket, staying away from the rays.

"Did you stay up for the whole night?" She nodded her reply, still wary of the hand holding the blanket edge. When he dropped the edge, she sighed and was about to settle back down on the cushioned armchair when she felt herself being lifted into the air with two strong arms.

"If you want to sleep, you should sleep on the bed, miss sleepyhead vampire!" He tossed her carelessly onto the covers, and watched with amused eyes as she immediately burrowed her way into the layers of sheets, curling up in the middle. After a moment of stillness, her hand shot out to wrap around Dino's pillow, dragging that into her blanket-cave as well. Dino chuckled before patting the little mop of black hair sticking out of the side.

"Goodnight. I'll draw the curtains. You get a good rest, 'kay? When you're ready for breakfast, just go to the kitchen downstairs, although you might want to take the back staircase because there are less windows."

Having said that, Dino left the room, intent on cracking the mysterious case once and for all.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the wait! And guys...I nearly cried with happiness when I saw how many reviews people put in for this story. Thank you all so much for your support, and I hope you continue to do so! I can't believe I'm almost at 50 reviews. My goal was surpassed at around 20 reviews or something. Thank you all so much.

**Reviewers: Anon (Guest), alyssum124, Star1006918, xkaiistarx, PrincipessaBel, HG59. RainyDaes, FEARFLUFFLY, xXxMentalPancakesxXx, Msdgirl, kimichee, 18 **and **SMY Stories (guest). **

I really cannot thank you all enough!

So, guys, how was this? Sorry for the wait, it's Wednesday for me right now so if I didn't update when you thought it would, its because of time zones. I hope you liked this chapter! There's more fluff and development and whatnot, but tell me what you think :3


	9. Chapter 8: Within the Shadows Lurks

"_Grandfather, who is this in the picture?" _

_His small hand brushed wonderingly over the portrait hung on the mantelpiece. The subject of the portrait was startlingly out of place with the traditional Japanese setting of their home. Hibari Kyoya's five-year-old eyes shone with curiosity, and his grandfather placed one hand on his shoulder, sadly noting the similarities between the man in the portrait and his grandson in front of him. It was almost as if Alaude had come back from the dead to live again in another body, to fulfill the duty that he hadn't finished. _

"_Grandfather..."_

"_He's your ancestor. My grandfather." _

_Kyoya made a small, grumpy noise. He was far from satisfied with that explanation. It sounded almost as if his grandfather was doubtful of his maturity to comprehend the answer that's going to come next. True to his predictions, his grandfather lowered himself down onto his knees with great difficulty and faced Kyoya with a pair of mirthless, shimmering eyes. _

_Kyoya frowned. Was he going to get scolded again? His grandfather, although kind when he wants to be, usually has high expectations of Kyoya. Not that he minded; he was used to a strict family setting. And Kyoya's got some high expectations of himself as well. _

"_You'll learn the full story later, alright? Patience is the key. But for now, I'll tell you that his name is Alaude, and he came all the way from Italy with...with his Family members." He said the word 'family' as if it irked him, a personal offense that he would never be able to retort._

"_Alaude was a brave man, but he died young." He told the boy, before straightening and turning away from the frowning five-year-old. "You'll do well to look up to him, but never follow in his footsteps." _

_Needless to say, the hunger for more information consumed Kyoya's will. His determination dug up a dark, incomplete family past that he was sure he wasn't supposed to know, creating a rift between his grandfather and himself. And although he didn't feel guilt for finding the information, he made the grave mistake of questioning his grandfather about it. _

"_Grandpa, do vampires exist?"_

"_No." Came the steady answer. If his grandfather was surprised that Kyoya even knew of such creatures, he didn't let it show. Instead, the hand he placed on Kyoya's shoulder tightened ever so slightly, before he let go and turned to shuffle slowly down the hall. _

_The next morning, his grandfather was gone._

* * *

Hibari had never been a morning person.

When he found himself glaring icily at the ceiling at four in the morning, he knew something must've disturbed him to make him wake up so suddenly. No matter how hard he thought back, there wasn't anything that had disturbed him. He had had a dreamless night. The mansion was quiet throughout, so quiet that he could hear Hibird's soft breathing from beside him on the pillow. Even the bird hadn't woken, which was something definitely out of place. Animals had better instincts than humans, that was a fact Hibari had accepted long ago. But this time, it must've been something only he could've sensed.

He stood and walked to the balcony, peering out into the darkness that surrounded the mansion. His eyes settled on the leafy expanse of the dark forest. Everything seemed to happen within the forest. His eyes narrowed.

Perhaps Cavallone had already gotten his message. Surely even he couldn't be so stupid so as to miss such a glaringly obvious tip. As for the rest of the investigation, he leaves it in Sawada Tsunayoshi's hands. The man was weak and pitiful, he was resolute in protecting people, and that was enough to give the herbivore enough drive to finish off the culprit of this investigation.

Even though Hibari already had a faint idea of who was behind all this.

He dressed himself quickly, scooping Hibird up and placing the sleeping bird safely in his breastpocket. Although Hibari was sure of his own strength, one could never be too sure about what was going to happen, and he preferred to keep Hibird as his backup. Hibird was as smart as he was fast, and the yellow canary could be trusted to get the distress signal to the Vongola database in no time at all, should Hibari fail to bite the _thing _to death. His lip curled at the thought. Many years ago, the _thing _had escaped the grasps of his great, great grandfather, although his ancestor had managed to harm it significantly. Perhaps that was why it hadn't resurfaced until now. Hibari's blood boiled. His urge to _kill _had started increasingly steadily upon his arrival at the Cavallone mansion.

_He _was here. And this might be Hibari Kyoya's last battle, but he wasn't willing to go down without taking _him _down with him.

After all, it was in his blood to battle this creature.

After securing his tonfas and his box weapons to their usual places, Hibari Kyoya slipped silently into the depths of the forest, navigating easily through its tangled bushes. The leaves of the trees rustled silently, welcoming him.

For once, Hibari Kyoya wasn't sure he would be back.

* * *

"Hibari-san?" Three knocks on his door. Hesitant and quiet.

The vampire bit her lip, shuffling from foot to foot with anticipation. What if Hibari-san had been sleeping or something? Then she would be in for his wrath. Her head throbbed at the thought, and she sheepishly placed one hand on her head to rid herself of the lingering traces of pain. Even though Hibari-san taught her in a harsh, detached manner, she learnt fastest that way. It was just another natural order of life for her, and he seemed to understand that. From the very beginning, Hibari hadn't questioned her existence. Almost as if he _knew _vampires existed.

"Hibari-san? Isn't it time for my morning class? Can I at least come in to get the book? Maybe Dino can read to me this morning." She tried to keep the hope from lacing her voice, but she knew it showed slightly. Hibari-san was extremely perceptive, and she didn't know what she would do if Hibari-san found out about her attraction for the blond Don.

She strained her ears. The room was completely silent; the way Hibari-san liked it. He hated it when random noises filtered through the house, especially when it was coming from others. If she strained her ears more, she could hear the sounds inside the room. It was deathly silent, no shifting of the blankets or flipping of a book page. _No breathing either. _She sniffed. Hibari-san's scent was still there, although it was a couple of hours old. Not fresh, as she would've expected.

Frowning now, she rattled the doorknob. The lack of violent response was an obvious indicator of Hibari-san's absence. Without hesitation, she slammed her palm into the door and watched with satisfaction as the wood cracked and gave way under her fingers. Carelessly tossing the two halves of the wooden door to the side, she sniffed the room. With nothing revealing itself to her naked eye, the best way to track would be through smell. A curious scent wafted from the bathroom, heavily masked by the smell of medicines, alcohol and the crisp tones of water. She wandered into the bathroom, toes curling against the cold tiled floor.

A few bottles lay on the counter. The mirror reflected her curious gaze right back at her, and after a few nerve-wracking minutes of staring into a mirrored intense silver gaze she turned away. She _hated _the fact that her eyes were so unnaturally silver. No one else she had met has displayed the same shades of silver in their irises, although Hibari-san's steely gaze was the closest she has ever seen. She hated such a distinctively inhuman feature.

The masked scent came stronger from the sink. She leaned towards the plughole and took a big whiff, before recoiling in surprise. It was blood. Hibari-san's blood. Another quick inhale confirmed the fact, and she was backpedaling out of the bathroom, studying the bedroom with deep suspicion. The balcony doors were closed, so he shouldn't have left that way. Just to make sure, followed his scent towards the balcony. The handles were where his scent was located the strongest, which meant that he had at some point tried to open the balcony. But the fact that it was closed so firmly...had Hibari-san been trying to keep something out?

Another quick investigation led her back to the bathroom, where she paced the floor anxiously. If there was his blood down the drain, what would he have been doing? _Washing his wounds? _Judging from the scent of the blood, it has already travelled far from the sink. It was faint, with only a lingering scent clinging onto the edges of the metal piping. But if it had been a bigger wound, there would've been a stronger smell in the room, and perhaps there would've been blood on the floor. It would've alerted her senses instantly, but this tiny amount of blood had been able to be covered up by a few bottles of medicine. She took the bottles out on the counter and rolled them carefully between her fingers, sniffing around their caps.

For a second, she laughed at herself. What was she doing, acting like a hunting dog? A tracker dog? She was turning into the very animal Dino saw her as! Perhaps she really did need a leash.

Without another word, she turned and ran down the corridors in search of Dino. He, out of all people, would know where Hibari had went.

* * *

"Kyoya is _what?_"

"He's missing!" The woman stared earnestly at him, as if Dino himself knew where his independent student went. Dino rubbed his eyes. Just when he'd thought that he would get all his paperwork done today. Between the vampire and Hibari, that hope had quickly been tossed out the window.

"Moriko, Hibari is a very free-willed man. He probably just went for a walk down in town or something. You really don't have to worry about him. I doubt anything in this village would be able to harm him. He'll be back soon."

Dino's words reassured her slightly. True, Hibari-san had the same strength level as _he_ did at the moment. They would be able to fight to a standstill, what with Hibari-san's determination to win his battles. And besides, Hibari-san wouldn't know about _him,_ so he wouldn't be walking into the forest of his own free will, especially after what he must've saw the other day, with the mysterious tree uprooting. Moriko didn't doubt Hibari-san's strength for a moment. But still, the events didn't quite add up. Although Hibari-san was a very quiet person, he wouldn't have left the mansion without informing or meeting someone along the way, right? Unless he was purposely trying to sneak out without anyone knowing? Or unless he was leaving very early in the morning? That would explain the hours old scent in his room.

Her gut instinct was telling her that something was wrong, and Moriko knew to go on her gut instincts. It was a matter of survival.

"Dino, I know something's weird right now. Can you just trust me this once?"

_I'm already trusting you in a lot of matters, _Dino wanted to quip back. But one look at her worried expression got him moving.

"Alright, alright." He pulled on his parka, placing his fountain pen back in its holder and shoving the files aside to look at another time. Just for good measure, he stuffed his trusty whip in his pocket and picked up the sleeping Enzo. He stood there for a second, seemingly having forgotten something in his study. Moriko glared half-heartedly, willing him to hurry up. The bad feeling in her stomach was worsening, twisting and turning and making her shift in place nervously. As if catching onto the tense, agitated atmosphere around her, Dino unconsciously sped up, his eyes sweeping over his desk. _Really, what has he forgotten this time? He's got his whip, his parka and his turtle..._

When the phone rang, both of them jumped.

"Dino!" Moriko clamped her hands over her ears and did her best to ignore the agitated buzzing of the phone just a few meters away from her. It tickled her ears, and while it wasn't an overly unpleasant noise, it did cause her a little bit of discomfort because of the sheer volume of it.

"Sorry, sorry." Dino gave her an apologetic wink before picking it up and pressing it to his ear. "Hello? Who's on the line?" He was still for a moment, and Moriko watched anxiously as he shook his head a few times as if he couldn't believe the information that was being transferred over his device. His face turned shadowed, annoyance with a hint of urgency. She could hear some of the conversation, but Dino deliberately paced the room while he listened to make it harder for her ears to catch the sound waves. The bulk of the conversation was muffled by Dino's nervous footsteps. All she could get was that the person on the other end had a very smooth voice, was male, and had a distinctive laugh. A laugh that sounded something like 'kuhu'. She frowned and glared daggers at Dino. Didn't she deserve to know too?

"Sorry, we'll have to put off the search for Hibari. There's something that came up and it's urgent. I'm going to go into town for a little while, alright?" He patted her on the head with another one of his condescending smiles, and she directed her glower at the ground.

"I smelt blood in his room though! What if he's hurt?" Dino smiled and shrugged it off, already turning to leave the room.

"Hibari Kyoya is a man who doesn't get hurt, Moriko."

She could catch a little hint of almost undetectable uncertainty in his voice, but otherwise, Dino seemed to believe in his words wholeheartedly.

But she let herself believe in those words as well, and was faintly relieved that the coils of tension in her stomach were slowly loosening. Hibari-san was a ferocious fighter. He couldn't be hurt in any way. And besides, when she went into the bathroom, there didn't seem to be a large amount of blood anyway.

* * *

The day became boring, mundane once more.

She went out into the garden by herself to sit underneath the shade of the pagoda, darting underneath the leafy canopies of the garden trees to get to the safe shadows of the traditional structure. It had taken some time, and it was difficult to navigate the garden when there was nobody to stand behind. She frowned, missing her mentor more than ever. Even though he was violent, he did teach her sufficiently about everything she wanted to know. And he had a peculiar patience about him.

She sat down on the seat she remember Hibari-san taking the other day. The pagoda smelt faintly of green tea ice cream, a lingering scent aged with the passing of the days. The golden koi flickered a few steps away from her, and she trailed her hand in the water lazily. This time, if she decided to terrorize the fish, there would be no chain to stop her.

She had her textbook open in front of her, opened to the page that Dino had read to her. If she let her eyes scan the words, she could hear his voice faintly in the back of his mind. His reassuring tone and demeanor had done wonders to her nerves. She no longer felt the overwhelming panic and frustration at not being able to read, but her determination stayed doggedly in her heart. She was going to learn how to be fully human, and nothing would be able to stop her. By the time she finished, nobody would be able to tell the difference between her vampiric existence and the normal people walking on the streets, save for the lengthy fangs in her mouth.

She was startled out of her thoughts with a rather loud and rude intrusion.

"Oi, Kakipi! Look, there's a person there!"

Someone was bounding towards her, tongue hanging out like a dog. She tilted her head to the side before deeming him dangerous and quickly ducking behind the table in the middle of the pagoda. If he becomes aggressive, then she would leap out and go immediately for his neck.

"Whatever, Ken." A calm voice filtered through and she tensed the muscles in her legs. Two against one was a rather difficult situation, especially since she couldn't leave the safety of the shade of the pagoda.

"Kakipii! You should pay more attention to your surroundings, you bloody four-eyed idiot! Eh...where did she go?"

"She's underneath the table, Ken." An exasperated sigh, and then the footsteps turned towards her hiding spot.

She watched nervously as the two people approached. The blond male had a peculiar, animalistic scent about him that reminded her of the things that prowled in the forest at night. The other male was wearing a weird cap over his hair, and he smelt of clean, cheap soap. Nothing like the silky scents that came from Dino. Were they visitors?

"Oi, are you trying to play hide and seek?" The animal-boy leant down and peered at her through the cracks of the table legs. He frowned. "You look like an adult already! What are you trying to do, playing hide and seek like a child?" He let out a barking laugh and straightened, murmuring to his companion something about a 'retarded adult playing kiddie games'.

"You're one to talk, Ken." The other replied calmly, seemingly unperturbed by the torrent of shouting and annoyed insults that followed. He merely sighed and offered one hand to her, the other going up to click his glasses back into place on his face.

She took his hand warily and was surprised to find that it was cold to the touch. It wasn't a particularly windy day. Rather, it was one of those muggy afternoons, optimal for an afternoon nap. But his skin felt as if he had stepped right out of the cold machines where her favorite ice cream treats were stored.

"I'm Moriko." She starts. "Sylvana Moriko." Her tongue flicked nervously over her fangs, as if she could hide them from prying eyes.

The glasses guy taps his glasses. "I'm Chikusa, and that idiot over there is Ken."

"Oi, Kakipii! That's going a little to far, byon!" Ken growled at Chikusa before turning back to the woman and sniggering at her, jabbing a finger into her stomach. "What were you doing, playing hide and seek like a little child anyway? Did you really think we wouldn't be able to notice a twenty-year-old hiding behind a table? Tch, you underestimate our tracking skills too much! These damn Mafiosos are too proud sometimes, right Kakipii?"

"I was trying to see if you were the enemy. If you were going to harm me, then I would rip your throat out." She replied honestly. Hibari-san had taught her never to lie.

"W-wha! Why you, you think you can so easily beat me?" Ken was a hothead, she realized. Even though they were having a perfectly normal conversation, she could feel a little bit of his death intent leaking through, as if he wanted to tear _her _throat out in response to what she said. Although she had a full stomach from taking blood from Dino just a few nights before, she couldn't quell the bloodlust rising in her stomach to match his aura. The two of them faced off warily, with Chikusa standing to the side and watching with a blank expression.

"We're not here to find trouble, Ken." Chikusa finally sighed.

"But she's too arrogant! What makes you think that a weakling like you would be able to fight a beast like me, huh?" He jabbed another finger in her face and she snapped at it angrily. The word 'beast' had raised her interest further. Was he someone like her? Although he didn't have the looks or the actions of a vampire, he did have something animalistic about him.

But before anything could escalate further, soft footsteps approached the two of them.

"Ken, Chikusa..." A young woman stood before Moriko. She was roughly the same age as herself, Moriko realized. The new purple-haired intruder was soft-spoken and clutched a trident protectively in her hands, studying the woman before her warily. By the way her eyes flicked back to the mansion, Moriko could tell that she'd rather be inside than out here with her two apparently familiar companions.

"Chrome." Chikusa greeted with a resigned sigh.

"Ah, it's the stupid woman. Is Mukuro-san back yet? I didn't think Mukuro-san would actually bother to go into town with the idiot Cavallone boss, byon." Ken had suddenly lost interest in her and was tapping his hand impatiently against the smooth wood of the pagoda structure. Both the jibe at Dino and the sound of his nails against the wood annoyed Moriko, and she let out a low growl in warning. Ken caught the sound and turned to look at her with an expression that seemed to be a cross between a smirk and a grimace.

_A challenge. _

Without another word, she lunged for his throat.

* * *

"Oya, have you been the one who's been messing around?" Mukuro tapped his trident against the floor, smiling at the cowering figure before him.

It was a middle-aged lady, wearing what looked like respectable office attire. Although she looked completely innocuous, the bloodstained knife in her right hand told another story. She had a terrified and surprised expression plastered to her face, as if she couldn't believe that she had been caught red-handed. Her victim lay to the right, a long slash down his neck. It wasn't a deep cut, more like a mark than a cut, and the man was groaning slightly in pain.

"Mukuro, we should bring her back to the estate and question her. Don't kill her or anything." Dino cautioned carefully. What with Mukuro's unnerving laughter and amusement flickering in his eyes, Dino wasn't sure what the Mist guardian's next move would be.

The woman hissed at the two of them threateningly, and Mukuro's smirk widened. Dino took a step back. The office lady bore an uncanny resemblance to Moriko when she was succumbing to her animalistic instincts. His mind flashed back to when he first met her. When Moriko had attacked him, she had hissed in a similar manner. Was this woman another vampire? Where were they all coming from? It was almost like a bad dream, dangerous supernatural creatures popping up indiscriminately all over the country. What next? A zombified disease outbreak?

A sudden thought struck him. They were in an alleyway, where the shadows protected the woman. If she were a vampire, she would freeze up when they dragged her back out into a sunlit area, right?

"Mukuro, don't move. Let me try something." Dino readied his whip and frowned, thinking of the most painless way to do this. Perhaps this was just another identity-confused vampire, like Moriko. He glanced quickly behind him, trusting Mukuro to watch his back for a split second, just to see Romario giving him the thumbs up. Romario was standing a safe distance away, but just the sight of his confident right-hand gave him the strength to thrust his whip forward and cheer inwardly when it caught neatly around the woman's wrist. She struggled and yanked, and Dino was reminded of a time when he had gone fishing with his father. With another strong pull, he all but threw her onto the main street, where the sun was beating heavily down on to the pavement. He held his breath. She should freeze...

Her nails tore angrily into Dino's arm. She hadn't frozen up at all. Instead, she had turned the tables on him, pulling him out onto the pavement by using his own whip against him. She raked her hands down his arm and smiled at the blood that welled up from the scratches. Dino was forced to back away when she swiped at his head, nearly catching his cheek. _If she wasn't a vampire, then what is she? _

"Oya, didn't you handle that situation well?"

The mist guardian materialized behind her and rammed the back of his trident into the small of her back. She stumbled forward, and Mukuro flipped his weapon, quickly slicing her cheek slightly with his trident tip. She let out a yowl before flopping forward, unconscious. Something dark fled from the wound, slinking back into the alleyway before either of them could get a good look at it. Mukuro chuckled quietly, but even Dino could see that he was slightly unnerved. Mukuro kept his eyes on the alleyway for a while before picking the woman up to carry her to the nearest hospital.

Dino wondered faintly what the Vongola Mist was seeing in the shadows, before he too turned to help the victim of the recent incident.

* * *

Ken stumbled backwards in surprise, but even then he wasn't able to escape her reaching grasp. Her hands locked firmly around his throat and she growled, a low guttural sound that shocked the beast-boy. He flung her away in surprise and she hit one of the poles of the pagoda, yowling at the sudden pain.

"Lion channel!" Suddenly, he had a pair of fangs as well. But that just caused Moriko to become even more determined to get her teeth into his flesh. He was a beast? Then she would prove that she was stronger. She bowled into him and the two of them twisted on the floor, each trying to get the upper hand.

Chikusa sighed as he watched the two 'adults' writhe on the floor, trying to kill each other. Chrome stood next to him, eyes widened at the sudden violence that erupted shortly after her arrival. Was this a spar or a real fight? Because even though they were fighting and physically harming each other, she couldn't see any blood. She stood worriedly off to the side with a nonchalant Chikusa, weighing the trident in her hand. It was quite a shock to Chrome when the woman suddenly leaned forward and clamped her mouth down on Ken's shoulder. For a brief second, she had thought that the woman sported a pair of fangs similar to that of Ken's fangs. Was she also genetically altered? Did she and Ken know each other?

Ken let out a howl of pain and managed to shake her off with great difficulty. He parried with a quick slash across her stomach and Moriko stumbled backwards, dancing out of his reach. Two gashes ran down Ken's shoulder in a parallel line. She must've tore downwards with her teeth. Chrome ran forward and slammed her trident down in between the two of them, knocking Moriko back. Moriko glared at the woman, and Ken mirrored the action.

"You shouldn't have stopped me, stupid woman! I had her!"

Moriko settled for just swiping the back of her hand across her lips. Ken's bloodstained her white skin and she licked it up quickly, much to Chrome's confusion and Ken's repulsion. The gashes in her stomach were deep, and the pain was on an entirely new level as compared to her twisted ankle, but compared to the hunger knowing at her stomach at times, this was nothing. She stared blankly down as crimson liquid oozed slowly out of her wounds.

"What the hell are you?" Ken snarled. His eyes flashed with the desire to fight, and Chrome had to firmly push him back with her trident.

Moriko was already planning her escape. Her eyes flickered nervously towards the garden; quite a lot of time had passed, but not enough of the garden was shadowed enough for her to make a clean break. And besides, Chrome was now studying her. Although Chrome looked quite dainty in appearance, Moriko's instincts warned her otherwise. She wielded the trident with confidence, and there was a certain determination in her eyes that scared Moriko slightly. Moriko didn't doubt her own strength when it came to fighting against others, but if that trident were to hit her, the results would be completely unpredictable.

"Oya, Chrome, Ken and Chikusa. Why are you scaring the young lady?" A voice echoed, uncomfortably close to the barriers of her mind for her to ignore. For one second, she thought _he _had managed to make contact with her mind yet again, but from the rustling of the leaves in the forest, she knew that he had stayed in his territory at least for another day.

"Mukuro-sama..." Chrome mumbled sheepishly, the tightened grip on her trident loosening slightly. Ken dropped back and grumbled to himself, glaring at the wound on his shoulder as if it would heal with just his stare alone. Flexing his muscles to slow the bleeding, he pulled a silver band from his pocket. Moriko's eyes widened as flames appeared all around the ring, wrapping it in a warm yellow. He applied it to the wound slightly and the gashes closed quickly, leaving nothing but a faint pink line to show that he had even been wounded in the first place.

Moriko's lip curled in a slight warning growl as mist crept into the pagoda. Judging from the weather and the temperature, it was quite impossible for such a cool mist to have formed so suddenly. Her suspicions were confirmed when the mist took the shape of a man, bearing a trident similar to the one that Chrome was holding.

"What do we have here, kufufu~" Mukuro strode confidently towards Moriko and lifted her chin slightly, gazing into her eyes. Without warning, she chomped down on his hand and shifted backwards quickly. A flare of pain ripped through her stomach wound and she hissed, pressing one hand to her stomach. She settled uneasily against one corner of the pagoda, breathing heavily. The pain rippled up and down her spine in uncomfortable waves.

"You're similar to the creature we just fought, aren't you?" It was a statement rather than a question, and Mukuro was smiling rather confidently down at her now. Without warning, he brought his trident down on her.

She cried out as it slammed into the arm she had risen to block the incoming blow. She heard a crack, and then the pain came back worse than ever. Her limb dangled uselessly down to the floor. She swallowed heavily and shook her head as if it could rid her of the pain that was whirling in her mind. It wasn't helping one bit, and her eyes teared up in a mixture of frustration and agony. What was she being punished for? She had just been minding her own business, and then someone came along to challenge her to a fight, and now there wasn't anyone stopping the man who had broken her arm. And she had no strength to move. She was a _vampire._ She didn't have special flames to make the painful parts disappear. The blood from her wounds pooled against the floor, and she could feel herself weakening. It went against her very nature to play the role of 'damsel-in-distress', but right now, all she wanted to see was Dino. She just wanted to see Dino and his strength, his whip, driving away the people who were hurting her.

The pain in her heart was the worst one of them all.

"Kufufu~ I thought not. The two of you have distinct ways of defense and attack." Moriko had no idea what he was talking about. All she wanted to do was go back to this morning, when she was in Dino's bed sheets, his scent surrounding her. That had been the most blissful experience by far. It was comfortable and familiar and it filled her with a strange, but not unwelcome, sense of longing. She wondered if she would ever get to be in that position again.

"Stand up." Mukuro commanded. He hefted the trident up so that the point was directed at her face, slowly moving as she rose.

She obeyed with much difficulty. Although her vision was fading in and out, the cuts on her stomach and her broken arm were slowly healing. She had just drunk from Dino just the night before, so the extra blood helped her healing process a bit more. She looked at her broken limb and snapped it back into place with a pitiful whimper, waiting for the bone to start sealing itself together once more. This time, her injuries were more severe then they had ever been in her life and amount of searing agony it had brought her was... different.

And then she smelt it. A familiar, metallic scent carried on the wind. It came from the direction of the forest.

"Herbivores..."

A flood of relief hit her, and Moriko smiled widely despite her pain. Hibari was back, and although he was covered head to toe in blood and weird slashes, he was back and still alive. A little sliver of apprehension continued to linger in her mind. What had he been doing in the forest? But before she could think more of it, Hibari was in front of her, blocking the trident that was striking at him. The Mukuro person was chuckling his signature laugh, dodging around the tonfas that Hibari had already whipped out.

The two of them fought furiously, metal clashing against metal in their single minded determination to hurt each other. Chrome took the moment to quickly usher Ken and Chikusa out of the pagoda, much to the Ken's chagrin. She then came back and regarded the limp figure of Moriko with curious eyes, before helping the wounded girl up to go back to the infirmary.

Chrome most certainly did not expect the pair of fangs that sank into her neck right after.

* * *

When Dino finally returned to the mansion, he wasn't particularly surprised to see that Hibari and Mukuro had started an all out brawl in his private gardens. He only sighed and was about to continue into the mansion before he realized that Hibari was _wounded. _The slashes didn't look like ones from Mukuro's trident, evidently because Mukuro would've possessed the man as soon as the tip of his trident even came into contact with Hibari's skin. Hibari was limping heavily, favoring his right leg rather than his left, and although he was holding up nicely against Mukuro's violent advances, his injuries often slowed his hits.

"Kyoya! Stop fighting; you should go to the infirmary first! Kyoya, hey, are you listening to me?" Unwilling to let his student carry on in such a state, Dino rushed into the fray and managed to stop both weapons by wrapping his whip around the trident and tonfa, yanking them out of their respective owners' hands. Hibari grunted as the movement agitated some of his wounds, but nonetheless continued to go at Mukuro armed with nothing but his fists.

"Kyoya! Come on, just stop it!" Dino placed himself between Mukuro and the enraged Hibari, managing to stop his student with sheer force. His leather weapon dangled uselessly in his hands as he braced himself against Hibari for a second before shoving his student back.

"Don't interfere." Hibari snarled.

"Oya, oya, the Skylark has turned into a wild beast, hasn't he?" Mukuro gestured to Hibari's eyes.

"Kyoy-...what the..." Hibari's eyes were shadowed and he was trembling. The bloodlust in the air was so strong it was almost tangible. No wonder Mukuro responded so quickly to the challenge, but even the mist illusionist was slightly unnerved by Hibari's ragged appearance. Hibari struggled against Dino's grasp a few more times before falling limp. Before Dino could do anything, Mukuro leaned forward and swiped a new cut on Hibari's shoulder. The same black essence fled out of the wound, almost like a cloud of smoke, disappearing into the forest.

"It all links back to the forest, doesn't it?" Mukuro muttered, almost admiringly. "Do you feel that, Dino Cavallone? There is power in this forest, born from something of another world." Mukuro wandered closer to the brick wall, but he stopped abruptly before he could come into contact with the rough material. He stared into the forest, almost as if he could communicate with the forest. It reminded Dino of Moriko and how she had reacted to the forest.

"What do you see?" Dino called cautiously.

Mukuro chuckled, his 'kufufu~'s rolling into the forest and getting swallowed by the oppressive silence. "Everything, and nothing."

Somehow, his words sounded more like a premonition than a casual statement.

* * *

"You're awake."

Moriko really didn't get this urge for humans to point out the obvious. Why did they have to state the obvious again and again? She knew she was awake, and she knew she was in pain. The pain had lessened down into a dull throb in both her arm and her stomach, and the medicine that the doctor working in the infirmary had forced down her throat left a burning, acrid taste in her mouth.

"Water." She responded unhappily, rubbing at her throat. A chuckle followed her comment and her head snapped up at the noise. Dino was here to visit her.

"I've got something better than water." He handed her a familiar, icy tub of ice cream and passed over a spoon for her to eat with. She dug in, suddenly ravenous. The cool treat slipped down her burning throat, causing her to cough slightly before the clashing discomfort finally faded away. Dino rubbed her back gently, looking at her with worried brown eyes. She could hardly lift her eyes to meet his gaze without feeling the warmth spread across her cheeks.

She had drunk some of the woman Chrome's blood, so much that the woman had nearly passed out. She supposed she shouldn't have done that because the woman was actually helping her, and it wasn't polite to attack the person who helped you, but the hunger in her stomach and the wounds on her arm and stomach couldn't be left alone to heal with out a sufficient intake of blood. Chrome had been a quiet victim, and hadn't struggled. She'd been taken into the room next door.

"What happened?" Dino asked her.

"I got into a fight...with the beast-boy." She told him. Dino looked confused for a second before an image of Ken and his fangs finally clicked into his mind.

"Ah, Ken! He injured you this badly?" He waved his hand at her stomach and her arm. She shook her head ruefully.

"Another person did this. He had weird, spiky hair. Even though I'm a vampire, I'm not that good at fighting. Even Hibari-san said so. He said I have the speed and the strength but I don't have the skill and the experie...experience or something. I don't really understand him, but I think that means I'm not a good fighter. At least not yet." The last sentence was tagged on with a hint of determination. Dino smiled at her and watched as she fiddled with the bandages on her arm, running her fingers over the coarse material.

"Don't fiddle with it too much, it might come off." He chided her gently, leaning over to adjust the bandage on her arm so that it sat comfortably. She couldn't help but lean forward to take in Dino's scent, cheeks reddening with the close proximity. If she wanted to, she could lean forward and kiss Dino on the crown of his head, but she was too scared that he would push her away and look at her with that hated disgust in his eyes.

"Hey, that tickles! Don't breathe down my neck like that!" Dino laughed and batted her away, making sure she didn't get harmed in their playful banter. She grinned wolfishly at him and obediently sank back into the blankets.

"I'm almost completely healed, Dino, I don't really want to stay here anymore." From the darkness she could sense beyond the curtains, she could see that night had already fallen. The humiliation of fainting in front of a potential enemy hit her and she frowned at herself. The added irritation from the sterile smells of the hospital unit further frightened her. There were _machines _around her, beeping occasionally, and a strong smell of herbs and medicine permeated the air. She'd much rather simply take some blood from Dino and then be done with it.

As if he could sense her thoughts, Dino shifted slightly and his fingers went up to gently trace the puncture wounds that she had given him last night. When she leaned forward expectantly, he shook his head. "I gave you some last night, so it wouldn't be good for me to give you anymore, otherwise I might get dizzy. I'll put in an order from the local hospital for fresh packets of blood, alright?" Truth be told, he didn't want those fangs of hers anywhere near him anymore. What if there were unintentional side effects from feeding a Vampire? What if he turned into one himself? That would be a complete disaster. Who would lead the Famiglia then?

Moriko settled back into her blankets silently, watching as the internal conflict flickered across Dino's face in the form of his varying expressions. She had learnt long ago that Dino needed space sometimes, and if she betrayed his trust now, she would never regain it.

"I'll get you some ice-cream though, if you want." She shook her head silently and went back to looking out the window. Birds hooted to each other across the darkened sky. Fish flicked their silver fins at the moonlight. The forest still bordered the edge of the estate, silent and foreboding as always. And then she remembered Hibari-san's sudden appearance.

Without another word, she leapt off the bed and struggled over to the door. But before she could make her way to the door and leave the room, one hand wrapped around her waist and pulled hr back to the bed. No, not back to the bed. She was being pulled onto _Dino's lap. _She found herself in a familiar situation, his arms around her. His scent overwhelmed her, numbing her for a second. She forgot all about Hibari, about questioning her mentor on why he ventured into the forest when he was well aware of the dangers that lie within. At this moment, it was only her and Dino. Even the ruckus of the beeping machines was drowned out in the thudding of her own heart.

"I'm not about to let you wander around still injured." He murmured. His hand tightened unconsciously against her stomach, and she winced. She kept her silence, however. It wouldn't do to show weakness in front of Dino of all people.

"S-so?" She managed to stutter out. "I'm a vampire. I can defend myself."

Dino laughed. "You said so yourself that you weren't really good at fighting."

"I'll learn, really! I'll learn and then I'll be able to protect you!" She blurted out unintentionally, before realizing her blunder and clapping her hands over her mouth. Dino's grip on her loosened in surprise, and she tried to twist away in that brief relapse of his captive hold. Dino recovered soon enough, however, and his arms were around her again, pulling her closer. Her eyes flickered in confusion to his face. He had a blank expression on, his eyes seeing _through _her to another dimension. And for one horrible, horrible moment, she thought that _he _had gotten Dino.

"Dino!" She screamed. And she did the only thing she could do, leaning forward and letting her teeth sink into his neck, hoping that the sudden pain would shock him out of his scarily emotionless reverie. And it did.

"OW! Hey, Moriko, what are you..." He trailed off when he realized that she wasn't feeding. She had already pulled her teeth out of his flesh and had stilled in his grasp, looking anywhere but at his eyes. Slowly, he tilted her head forward so that her gaze would rest on his. Even then, her eyes flickered to the side, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. Dino's chest flared with strange affection, one that mingled with a warning tinge of caution, and one that certainly wasn't his own.

In that moment, she looked completely and utterly human.

* * *

**A/N****: **And that's it for my weekly update! Thanks to **Star1006918, 18, Msdgirl, Clocked002, kimichee, Minirowan **and **Clair Kingsleigh** for the wonderful reviews! Sorry for the cliffy, everyone, and more will be revealed next time as we see how Mukuro, Hibari and Dino ties into the 'incident' that has been happening around town. More KHR characters will appear too, so thanks for being patient.

Anyway, the next update will be up next Wednesday as usual, and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Thanks everyone, and reviews will definitely be appreciated!


	10. Chapter 9: Confession

"Father..."

The marble tombstone in front of him had no outstanding markings on it. It was just a slab of well-polished stone. His name was printed clearly on top of the tombstone, no extra embellishments and no heartwarming messages engraved underneath his identity.

Dino knelt before his father's grave, his expression one of careful blankness. His father had always been the one to teach him not to show any emotion, and Dino's response to that had been to continue smiling in the face of all his problems. His father had been less than pleased with the result, but had ultimately decided that his smiling son would amount to nothing either way.

Dino had been a failure, and he had always thought he would be, until he met Reborn of course. And one small part of him cried out, hoping that his father could see how he was doing now. He was the proud leader of the Cavallone family, having been trained into near perfection by the great hitman Reborn. He wondered if his father would be proud of him now, proud of the son originally labeled 'useless' since birth. He wondered if his mother would feel proud, and the thought brought a little sad smile quirking at his lips. She would be proud of him alright, proud that he hadn't wanted to walk the same path that his father had walked. She would be proud of him to have found a true Family despite having no real blood relations alive. She would be proud of his ability to move on after her disappearance and his father's death.

He rarely visited his father's grave, and it was even rarer that he went there to ask for advice. It was almost unheard of that he went to his father's grave to ask for _love advice _of all thing, but here he was, kneeling in the freshly cut grass, a polite bouquet of flower in his hands. As he placed the bunch down on the grave stone, he could almost hear his father's reply in the silence that surrounded him.

"_Dino, love doesn't exist. There is no such thing in our world. Your mother and I had been arranged to be a suitable match, and neither of us had argued. She had been able to give birth to an heir, and that's all I've ever really needed from her. We had no attachment to each other whatsoever. Love is business, business is taking care of your Famiglia and staying strong to keep your position."_

A broken sob left his throat, and Dino swallowed the following hiccups. A Mafioso boss, especially one of such a prestigious standards, couldn't show his true feelings in any situation.

"Father, you were the one who killed her, weren't you? It wasn't some wayward assassination attempt..."

The wind ruffled his hair gently, as if laughing, praising him for his deduction. Without meaning to, Dino cracked a bitter smile. "You were a coward, father. You wanted so badly to love her that you couldn't take her leaving you. You wanted so badly to keep her at your side that you switched to possessiveness. She left you because she was _scared, _and instead of comforting her, you let her walk away and chose to take her life forever. You didn't give her a grave...I never even got to see her corpse after what happened. What did you do to her, Father? Why did you have to take her away from me this way? She was my mother, and she was a kind woman. And now...I can't even remember her smile_._"

Dino buried his face in his hands.

* * *

"_Dino, come here." _

_One large hand planted itself roughly in his mop of blond hair. The child looked up with tear-stained cheeks, only to be met with the unforgiving smile of his own father. "Papa?" He stuttered confusedly, especially when the grip on his head didn't lighten. The corners of his father's mouth pulled downwards and the child inched backwards in vain as he tried to get away from his now painful touch._

"_Look out the window, Dino." _

_The child did as he told, glancing out the window. There she was, getting into the car without a second glance. The woman he had once called 'Mama' so affectionately. _

_The child didn't notice the man's lips tightening, didn't notice the man reach underneath his desk for a remote. His eyes were glued to the window as he saw the engine start, saw the car start to slowly move forward before ripping itself apart with a screech of metal and a flare of white and yellow. _

_Dino was blinded for a brief second, before his irises finally recovered from the sudden light, and the blackened scene of the car wreck burned itself into his retina. When he looked up, his father had already gone quietly back to work, one hand shooing him dismissively towards the door as if nothing had ever happened. _

* * *

Somehow, the days had turned colder. Gone was the unforgiving heat of summer, and in its place, winter approached slowly. Strangely enough, the forest by the Cavallone mention didn't change its appearance throughout the year, its canopies staying a strong, evergreen color. The verdant surroundings seemed out of place with the rest of the world, but Dino hardly had time to notice such changes.

Dino had put all his effort into work, smoothing out relationships between Famiglias. With the oncoming of winter, there meant more distribution of goods and weapons alike to other Cavallone branches in different countries. Not to mention, there was also businesses to run, trends to keep up with, cases to pursue and peace to make with the local authorities. With the mysterious attacker rearing his ugly heads in the small towns scattered over the country, the police had taken to working double-time as well as investigating the Mafia. Although Dino's group was a rather peaceful, friendlier component of the dark underworld, the police weren't buying it. Over the course of the past few weeks, there had been multiple arrests of suspected 'attackers'. Ironically, most of them had been the very men Dino had sent out to look for the actual culprit.

There was a lull in the attacker's activity, but Dino wasn't buying it. He felt as if the whole town, no, the whole world was holding it's breath, before something major blew up and Dino would have to pull all-nighters once more. He grinned dryly at the situation. There really was no rest for the wicked.

He glanced at the phone. It had been silent for the past half an hour, which was a first. Normally, it would've rung so much that he would've been forced to put it into a silenced mode, switching all the calls over to Romario. But now, it was strangely silent in the room, and although Dino appreciated the peace and quiet, he was unnerved by the muffled, noiseless quality the room seemed to take on.

Stretching, he decided that the room's atmosphere was too oppressive for him to handle and walked leisurely out the room. If Reborn was here, he would surely get a solid whack to the head, but the sadistic hitman tutor was nowhere to be seen. Dino grinned to himself. Reborn's hands must be full with the trouble that his dear little bro must be getting into. Although Tsuna had grown a lot faster than Dino himself had when he was the same age, Dino felt no jealousy towards Tsuna. The Vongola Don was caught in a difficult situation too, as most of the attacks seemed to have been concentrated in the Namimori area. The attacks were so frequent there that the authorities had even asked for everyone to stay indoors for the rest of the month, until the 'situation calms down'. Hibari had immediately taken his leave to go patrol his dear town, and despite Dino's protests, most of which consisted of 'Moriko's education is not finished!' or 'You're still injured from the fight last week!' they were all brushed off, and a before he knew it, he was seeing the Skylark off at his private airstrip.

Speaking of the vampire...

Moriko had taken to staying in the garden, ever since that incident with Rokudo Mukuro. Mukuro had disappeared off to who knows where, and he had taken his three associates with him. Chrome had recovered nicely, and although she didn't seem to hold any grudge against the vampire's actions, Dino could see the discomfort in Chrome's eyes whenever Moriko got too close to her. He made sure to separate the two as much as possible, because he honestly didn't want a repeat performance.

_I'll go visit Moriko. Perhaps bring her some ice cream. _Frankly, Moriko's behavior worried both Dino's Familgia members as well as Dino himself. She prowled the garden daily, neither coming in for meals nor to go to sleep. Dino had given her a parasol to carry around so that she wouldn't have to stay in shaded areas, and now the umbrella never left her side. She strutted around the garden anxiously, umbrella tucked securely over her shoulder. Even when Dino leaned out the window to call her name, she hardly looked up anymore. It was almost as if she was waiting for something to happen, and Dino had all but given up on trying to understand the vampire's motives.

He took a short detour to the kitchen before heading towards the gardens.

Sure enough, he saw Moriko in the garden, gently nudging Enzo away from the water's edge. The disgruntled turtle snapped half-heartedly at her hand before disappearing into the bushes angrily. She looked up at the sound of his footsteps, the ghost of a smile flitting across her face.

"Dino." She greeted tiredly, and with a flare of guilt, Dino noticed the eye-bags underneath her tired orbs. She rubbed at her eyes and yawned, and Dino smiled. It was when he noticed where she was standing that the smile slowly faded from his face. She was sitting in the shadow of the very bush where Dino had first met her, one hand ruffling the grass slightly. It was just a few steps away from the brick wall, but this seemed to be as far in the direction of her old home as she was willing to go. It was almost like she had been debating whether or not to go back to the forest, but something had stopped her before she could actually act on her desires. The very fact that she had been considering leaving had his heart pounding uncomfortably against his ribcage. Was this just another repeat performance of the scenario with his mother? If it was, then the world was too cruel indeed.

When she noticed him staring, Moriko smiled sheepishly. "I wasn't going to leave, if that's what you're thinking. I just find it easier to con...contemp...think here." She was still stuttering over some of the harder words, Dino noticed. It was cute of her, but at the same time he felt horribly sorry for her state. She was a bird that had intentionally clipped its wings...even if it wanted to fly once more, it would be unable to. So she was stuck here, grounded and trying desperately to fit in.

From the saddened glances she gave him, he knew that she was thinking back to their first encounter. Right down to Enzo's current position, this could be an exact remake of their first meeting, except the bushes were now plain and not decorated with ridiculous silver ribbon. Moriko was sprawled on the floor, almost lifeless and doll-like in her stature. For a moment, he was scared that she was somehow exposed to the sun. But that wasn't the case; his gifted parasol was propped securely up against the bush and she was sitting right in the middle of the shadows, careful not to be in any of the sun's harmful rays. Was she reminiscing?

The thought made his head hurt. He really was such a mean person when he had first met her. He hadn't asked her how she was feeling about it. He had called her disgusting, had let his emotions show plainly on his face for her to see. Although she wasn't human, surely she understood enough about facial expressions to know how he hated her initial debut in his garden. And then he had thrown her out of the mansion with nothing but a pin and his jacket. She had clearly looked up to him then; she still had the jacket and pin stowed safely somewhere in her belongings, and although Dino found it quite weird that she would so obsessively want to have something of his, he also found it a little amusing and had decided to humor her by letting her keep it.

She's had a tough journey to reach him, didn't she? She had wondered into town without knowing how humans truly interacted. She had almost gotten raped, she had murdered, she had been captured by the police, she had been taken under Hibari's wing...it must've been a tough journey for her and he hadn't stopped in his work to ask her how she felt all this time. The very thought made him want to bash his head against the wall. Normally, Dino was well versed in how to be a good host! So what was wrong with this particular situation?

And the way he was treating her made his head spin in circles. Was she a pet to him? A sister? A small child that he felt compelled to take care of? Or did he really see her as what she is? A vampire who wanted to become human?

"Humans don't say up for more than 48 hours maximum, you know." He started slowly. He watched the confusion spread across her face, before a faint blush showed itself against the paleness of her skin. He chuckled to himself. So she hadn't noticed that staying up for a whole week was supernatural? Even so, she looked like she had only missed a few hours of sleep, which was something amazing by itself.

"Why don't you go back to the mansion and catch a few hours of sleep? And then, if I have time, I'll read you something and you can practice more of your speaking skills." It wasn't just her lack of sleep that was taking a toll on her mental state. She had become much more nervous around everyone without Hibari's constant guidance. More than once, Dino had caught her looking backwards after saying something, as if Hibari was still there to correct her every move. The revealing disappointment in her eyes had Dino's stomach lurching with very confusing jealousy.

Seeing her so fragile in front of him, he caught himself debating whether he should pat her condescendingly on the head or carry her in his arms like a child, so that he could tuck her into bed and read her a bedtime story. His face flushed uncomfortably with his thoughts. Was he viewing her as a woman, or a vampire, or a pet, or a child?

"I'm fine out here." She protested softly, her eyes going back to scan the horizon again. Dino sighed at her response. She was in one of her stubborn moods, and it was hard to persuade her to get out of it.

"You haven't eaten, have you?" Dino responded. From the slight dilation of her pupil, he knew he had hit a spot. It was a dangerous thing to say, especially when he was the closest food source around. He noticed the hand playing listlessly with the grass suddenly tighten, mercilessly ripping a few stems out of the soil.

"You haven't eaten." He insisted firmly.

"I don't want to take anymore from you, Dino!" She all but screamed in his face. Dino stumbled backwards at the ferocity of her yell, but managed to find his footing and stood his ground. She threw occasional tantrums (the more you get to know her, the more she threw in fact). She really was just like a child, simple in her desires and stubborn in her views. Dino sighed and watched as she fiddled with the handle of her parasol, running her fingers nervously along the smooth wooden handle. The shade of the parasol kept her mobile, and if Dino was feeling mean, he could easily kick it away and have her paralyzed. But he wasn't that kind of boss.

"Come on." He murmured in what he hoped was a soothing tone. She looked up at him with cloudy, upset eyes. When he reached for her, she flinched away and Dino could only watch in surprise as she stood and ambled away from him to stand at a safe distance.

What's wrong? Usually she likes staying close to him, but now it's almost like she wanted nothing to do with him. Dino rubbed his eyes and wondered briefly if this was just a weird dream he was having.

* * *

In the end, she did reluctantly follow him to the kitchen. He laid out a few of the best steaks for her and watched as she tore at them with her hands and fangs. The fork and knife lay forgotten beside her plate; such was the ferocity of her hunger. When she looked up, done with her meal, Dino was caught in the wild pleasures that her gray eyes flashed for a second. She was a beast, and yet he had become accustomed to her presence.

Leaning forwards, he wiped at her mouth with a napkin, much to her annoyance. She swatted gently at his hand and took the napkin to try and do it herself, only to have the cloth slip from her fingers and crumple to the floor. Grumbling, snatched it up and swiped herself across the mouth jerkily before placing it somewhat neatly besides her plate. She then looked up at him expectantly.

"Right. Naptime?"

She nodded, too tired to complain. When she slumped forward and was about to fall asleep right at the kitchen table, Dino sighed. Gently, he picked her up; she settled into his arms without any protest. She must've been far more exhausted than Dino had previously thought. He smiled slightly and cradled her gently as he climbed up the stairs to reach her bedroom.

The door creaked slightly as he nudged it open with his foot. The room was untouched; she hadn't come back to sleep in her own bed for over a week! Although, Dino supposed that she wouldn't have felt so different because she _did _spend most of her life in a forest. His chuckles vibrated through his chest and she shifted slightly, one hand looping sleepily around his neck and nuzzling closer to his warmth.

And then Dino's day started going downhill from there.

* * *

It started with the simple ringing of the phone on his desk.

Straightening from his slouched position with practiced ease, Dino flicked the receiver towards himself and pressed it firmly to his ear. "Hello?"

"He...r...vore." Though there was a lot of static and disconnection, Dino could still tell that it was clearly _Hibari _speaking. Which was a weird occurrence in itself. Hibari never called anyone, and he rarely even picked up his phone, unless it was to report something to his Foundation so that they could get to work immediately. Heck, Dino didn't even remember Hibari allowing him to insert his number into Hibari's phone, so who...

"Herbivore..." It was Hibari, no doubt about it. That calm, commanding tone, the harshness of his words, one could almost see the disdainful twitch of his lips as he continued dragging out that one word. But the thing is, what is that static? Dino shook his phone a couple of times just to make sure that it wasn't malfunctioning by some kind of freak accident. His phone had the best connections and even in the event of a power outage, it would be able to run on the spare set of batteries nestled in it's back. So there really was no reason for the phone to malfunction like this? And besides, it wasn't just any kind of static. It was the static that made it seem as if someone was cutting into the line, intentionally cutting them off. But this line is private. The more Dino thought, the more frustrated he got.

"Kyoya? You have to call again. The connection isn't so good. Kyoya?"

"...e...out...rik..." Came the reply. Dino almost slapped the phone out of frustration. There was absolutely nothing he could get out of the current conversation. To make it worse, it sounded like Hibari was getting impatient himself, if the now growled words were any indication of the Cloud guardian's current mood.

The phone clicked off suddenly, and Dino placed the phone back in its place with reluctance. Whatever Hibari had to say, he was sure it was something serious, something urgent.

'_Beep!' _Dino's laptop flashed a message across its screen. It was all the way across the relatively big office, and Dino didn't really want to leave his spot by the phone. After a moment of debate, he made a decision, wandering over, though he was still hesitant to leave the phone alone for more than a single minute. What if Hibari called back once more? He would expect Dino to pick up after the first ring...After a moment of deep thought; Dino slipped the phone off its charger and into his pocket, stuffing the extra, solar rechargeable batteries into his pockets to go with it. If anything happened, he would be able to at least get some access to others with this faulty phone.

He settled down in front of his laptop and curiously read the message that came across. The sender is unknown, and there was no subject. But the message was clear.

"GET OUT." It read.

Dino chuckled nervously. It didn't specify when, or to where, or why or anything actually. Get out of what? The mansion? And what was he to do afterwards? It wasn't like there was a zombie apocalypse in town or something like that right?

The phone in his pocket rang, and Dino jumped at the sudden sound. Instinctively, he reached inside and all but ripped the device out of his pocket, pressing it quickly to his ear. "Hello?" He mumbled in a rush of confusion and urgency. He desperately needed answers, and it seems that Hibari could provide the answers this time. However, it wasn't Hibari who answered the phone.

"Idiot Dino, you need to get the vampire girl and yourself out of the town in thirty minutes flat. Something's about to happen, and it's going to happen quickly, and I don't want you anywhere near the site when it happens. I'll explain more later bu-..." And then the line was cut off once more. Okay, well, at least he had more information now. But _thirty minutes? _That was insane. That's nowhere near possible when he needed to evacuate the whole of the Cavallone workforce. With all the men still in the building, what is he supposed to do? Dino wasted a precious three minutes debating on the possible plans of actions before the sound of Moriko's screech of pain jarred him painfully out of his strategic thinking.

* * *

_I must care for her more than I think._

Dino found himself racing down the corridor before he could even blink. He passed bewildered subordinates, chefs and maids alike, but he didn't stop for any of them. Maybe it was because of the desperation of the scream that made him move so fast. Maybe it was because he just wanted to see her, to make sure she was okay, to hold her and to tell her that he didn't loathe her, not anymore anyway. Maybe it was because he envisioned her leaving, after this incident. This was a Mafia style state of emergency right? Perhaps she would just get up and leave, like his mother had done. But most of all, Dino suspected it was because _the scream had sounded inside his head. _

When he got to her room, he realized that he had already used up 5 minutes of his supposed evacuation time. He snapped open the phone and barked orders for a full-scale mass evacuation, all the while letting his eyes scan the scenario before him.

The balcony door was open wide, the curtains parted and ripped to shreds beside it. The door to the bathroom had been ripped off its hinges, splintered wood strewn across the floor. Dino cautiously stepped around the wreckage to get to the bed. The bed was a mass of feathers and ripped cloth, the frame skewed to one side and snapped in various places, reminding him of spine and leg fractures. There were _bullet holes _in the wall. There were burn marks on the carpet, and what looked like neat slashes all over the room. With a chill running down his spine, he realized that the slashes were exactly like those on the victim's neck, except they were deeper and they ripped into the wallpaper and the cement of the walls. Even the bulletproof glass windows hadn't been spared; jagged crystals accompanied the white shredded cloth on the floor.

"Moriko?" He called cautiously. His eyes searched desperately for a hint of her midnight locks, for her pale skin. What had she been wearing when he tucked her in? She couldn't possibly be buried underneath the bed wreckage, could she?

A cross between a growl and a whimper came from his right, and Dino turned immediately. He wished he had his whip by his side...it would've made him feel a lot safer. What if the attacker was still in this very room? And anything stronger than a vampire would be a force to reckon with.

His phone rang again. "Oh for God's sake..." Dino murmured in reply. Keeping an eye out for any movement, he carefully pressed the electronic to his ear once more. If this was another one of Reborn's pranks, this was seriously getting old. Cautiously, he listened as some shuffling noises and what sounded like muffled gunfire and the rattle of metal weapons clashing came from the other end of the line, before another very familiar voice all but screamed into his ear.

"Dino-san! You have to get out of there! Reborn's holding it back, but we only bought you another 15 minutes! You have to get out of there quickly before something really bad happens! Remember to take Moriko with you, because she'll be able to help you explain something. I can't tell you now, because _he_ might be listening into this conversation, but Hibari's here with his private jet to pick you up and you should just make your way to the airfield! Reborn will probably call with more instruction, but he's fighting right now so I can't..."

"Hey, Tsuna? Tsuna?" Again, the line was cut off rather quickly. Dino paled, and began rifling through the sheets on the bed with increasing urgency.

"Moriko, where are you? It's me, Dino."

"_In the bathroom, Dino." _The voice in his head informed him. He jolted before shuffling towards the bathroom. It was dark inside; the light bulbs had shattered because of something or another. If he tilted his head to look at the floor, a dozen jagged Dinos looked back at him. He laughed nervously; he looked so _scared. _What was it exactly that he was scared of?

"_Maybe it's me._" The voice in his head whispered, almost sorrowfully. Dino paused. This..._This isn't Moriko's voice. _

Something barreled into him, and with a cry of surprise, Dino topped into the darkened bathroom. His head clonked against the side of the bathtub and he saw stars for a brief moment, before he shook his head and drove the pain off through sheer will. Someone..._something _was on top of him, growling. Its eyes were red with malicious intent, and he could see a row of gaping, white teeth glittering in the darkness. Before his very eyes, the thing's face shifted to take on more feminine features. Pale skin covered what had originally been coarse fur. It's eyes turned into a dull grey, and long hair flowed down it's back.

"Maybe it's me, Dino." Her soft voice came out of its throat, and the Moriko-who-was-not-Moriko wrapped her small hands around Dino's neck softly, leaning in and murmuring against his lips. "Maybe it's me. You never really did accept me as a human being, did you? In your eyes, I was and always will be a monster." Dino's breath came in short pants. She was too close. She...it...

The thing was about to sink its 'fangs' into a neck when a loud battle cry sounded behind it. It turned rapidly, but not fast enough as Moriko's fist rammed into its face, making it fall headfirst into the bathtub. It let out a yell of intense pain, and the acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air. Moriko pulled Dino to his feet carefully and all but shoved him out the door in her haste to get him away from the monster. Dino moved slowly, still slightly dazed. What was happening? Is this the real Moriko, or had Moriko been the monster all along?

"Dino, Dino!" She tapped his face gently started leading him out the room at a jog, pausing only to grab her parasol. She glanced back every so often to see if the creature had emerged from the bathroom.

There was no movement, and Dino allowed himself to be led away without much fuss.

* * *

The mansion was in a state of panic, which to Dino was an almost ironic sight. He had taken the bustling nature of the Cavallone mansion for granted, but when the Mafioso family really wanted to move, the activity increased to a whole new level. There were people shouting at each other, and although the words seemed incomprehensible to Dino's swimming mind, the subordinates seemed to understand each other. Half of the Famiglia had already gone into hiding in various parts of the country, all of them following an age-old evacuation protocol that had been established since the Cavallone Don's time. It made Dino wonder if the Cavallone Don had anticipated that something like _this_ would happen. _I bet he never saw supernatural creatures in this scenario, _Dino thought woozily.

"Boss!" Romario ran over, handing his trusty whip and turtle over to the disorientated Cavallone boss. As soon as the whip settled into his hand, Dino felt a calm settle over him that he has never felt before except in times of severe emergencies. His Famiglia needed him; what was he doing staggering all over the place as if he was drunk?

"Move the vans out of the entrance. Forget about the perishable food, we'll get by just fine on canned and freeze-dried goods for now." Dino was confident now, directing his men as if he had being doing so all along. Everyone shifted to follow his orders without a word, and Dino watched proudly as the whole Famiglia was ready to move in fifteen minutes. Tsuna had told him that Reborn was buying them more time, and if this was something that even Reborn couldn't stop immediately with a bullet to the head, Dino really didn't want to meet it head on.

When the last of the vans left the compound, Dino sighed and got into the private car with Romario. Moriko toppled into the backseat, thoroughly exhausted. There were three big scratches carved into her cheek, and they were bleeding profusely, but she hadn't complained one bit. Dino craned his neck back from his shotgun position and wordlessly took in her bedraggled state. She was breathing heavily, one hand pressed against her cheek. When she looked up at him, her eyes were that of a wounded animal trying to seek shelter.

"Stop the car, Romario. I'm switching to the backseat."

"But boss..." Though he was protesting, Romario was already pulling over to the nearest side of the road, unlocking the doors. Dino stepped out and quickly switched to the backseat, bringing with him the emergency first aid kit that had been strapped carefully to the bottom of the shotgun seat. Romario glanced back with a slightly concerned expression on his face, before turning back to the front and gently starting up the car. The black, bulletproof vehicle wound slowly down the mountainous road, and Dino never looked back once.

He gestured for her to move closer so that he could clearly see the wound on her face.

She let out a pained hiss as his hands brushed against the gashes. Dino winced in her place as he pulled away with a blood-covered hand. Her eyes were strangely vacant, as if the pain didn't really register in her mind, as if the whimpers that occasionally came out of her mouth were just instinctual reactions rather than admissions of pain. He wondered what Moriko really was seeing in those expressionless eyes of hers.

He gingerly dabbed her cheek with alcohol swab and stopped when she flinched backwards, skittering out of his reach. He murmured softly to her as he cornered her again, reaching forward to gently clean the wound while keeping her pinned against the corner of the car.

"Did _he _get you?" She finally spoke up. Her voice was soft and hesitant, as always, and it contrasted greatly to the flare of fear and determination that flashed across her eyes. Dino smiled reassuringly back at her.

"Nah, you're too quick for him, isn't that right?" Dino's insides twisted as the fear registered in her eyes once more. Although she was scared, she had still fearlessly charged in and saved his life from what could've been a fatal encounter. The _thing _that had leapt on top on him had nearly killed him, and it had the strength, ferocity and speed of a predator. Not that Dino wasn't used to fighting things like that (Hibari was a prime example of something inhuman in speed and determination to _bite people to death_), still, the thought of the very creature's appearance struck a nerve deep in Dino's mind. For some reason, he felt as if he had seen the thing somewhere before. It was a memory of a distant past, just a little out of his mental reach, and it was frustrating him. If only he knew more, he could be more useful. As he grew more and more frustrated against his current predicament, his grip on Moriko's hand tightened. The vampire looked quizzically at his hand but didn't protest.

That is, until her flesh started turning slightly purple.

With a startled yelp, she shook his hand off darted to the other side of the car. Although Dino's car was spacious, it wasn't big enough to allow her room to hide, so she ended up awkwardly huddling on the floor, head dipped low so that he couldn't see her expression.

"Moriko!" Dino chided exasperatedly. He pulled her up and sat her firmly beside him. When she tried to leave once more, he kept her barred on her seat with one hand, the other quickly patching up the ugly slashes on her face. She didn't say a word the whole time, choosing to let her gaze fall abashed on his neckline, one hand still tugging half-heartedly at the hand barring her from running away.

* * *

Moriko hadn't felt this embarrassed in her entire life. Dino's scent was heady and strong, and it made her heart skip and falter. She was sure this wasn't a healthy predicament. The fact that his gentle touch wandered over her face so carefully wasn't helping her in the least. The burning sensation in her stomach and her cheeks were new to her too, and the more she wished for the feeling to go away, the more it seemed to worsen. This feeling was what she had understood to be 'love', but never had she felt it this strongly before. When she had charged in to save Dino's life, she hadn't that she might be possibly putting herself in danger. All she had thought of was Dino, that Dino was going to get hurt and that she had to protect him.

Finally giving into his warm embrace, she nuzzled deeper into his arms, willing him to just accept her presence and hug her close. It was comfortable and familiar, and it gave her the strength to keep fighting _him. _She finally understood that he had been playing with her all along, and that _he_ had been building _his_ strength for almost four hundred years now. _He _was certainly not at the level she was expecting, and she had already accepted that if she were to try and destroy _him, _she would most possibly lose her life as well. _He _was a cruel being, and _he _was capable of doing anything to get his way.

She felt Dino hesitantly rub her back, but his touch was light. It was a familial touch, one of a friend comforting another good friend. If he had truly felt the way she felt towards him, then he would've drawn her closer and would've spoken, but instead the two lapsed into uncomfortable silence. The deep self-resentment and disappointment weighed heavily in her heart, and she hurriedly chased the choking feeling away. If she let her mental guard down this early on in the game, then she was sure to be out before the second round. And then Dino would be completely exposed; there would be nothing standing between _him _and Dino.

Dino cast a helpless glance at Romario. His right hand man smiled at him and raised the partitioning glass between the two parts of the car, effectively cutting himself off from the passengers in the back seat. Romario had taken care of Dino ever since he was a child; if anything, he would've known that what Dino was yearning for was some privacy.

With the soundproof partition slowly raised, he gently and firmly drew away from her so that she could settle against the leather backseat. She mumbled something under her breath, so low that Dino couldn't hear it at first.

"What?" He repeated, feeling a little helpless and stupid.

"I said..." She took a deep breath, and faced him bravely. "I really, really, really like you, Dino."

_Is this...a confession? _He chuckled nervously and reached out to pat her on the head. She dodged his hand quickly, staring at it with a mixture between disappointment and disapproval. He withdrew cautiously, his eyes on the vampire. "Well, I really like you too, Moriko..."

"That's not what I mean, Dino, and you know it." It was then that Dino really took a good look at her. Despite her mental age, her knowledge of how humans acted, she wasn't a child at all. She had the look and the body and possibly the experience of a twenty-year-old adult, and she's confessing to him. He almost wanted to throw his hands up and laugh at the absurdity of the situation. How long had she known him? She'd observed him from the forest for many years! And how long had Dino known her? A few days? A few weeks at most? Hibari probably knew her better than Dino! And she was just something that lived with Dino under the same roof, someone that Dino thought to be an innocent little creature that had much to learn about the world.

"_Dino, love doesn't exist. There is no such thing in our world. Your mother and I had been arranged to be a suitable match, and neither of us had argued. She had been able to give birth to an heir, and that's all I've ever really needed from her." _Dino's father had told him that, and at this moment, he couldn't help but agree. It was silly of Moriko to have developed such deep feelings for him.

"Love doesn't exist, not in the way you think it does anyway, Moriko." He talked gently, as if explaining a difficult concept to a child. "Besides, you're a vampire and I'm human. I need a woman who will give me a strong, healthy heir to take over my place. I don't think interbreeding between species would help much, not for my reputation, not for your mentality, not for anything in particular. The Cavallone has enough worries to smooth out as it is, I can't really deal with a half-vampire child in-between all that, even if you did manage to get pregnant after all." Dino couldn't believe this. A few years ago and he would've been a clumsy mess at the thought of a confession, but here he was, in front of a _vampire, _and he was explaining clearly why she couldn't be his lover. It was almost enough to make him proud, although Moriko's downcast eyes quelled his victorious thoughts.

"I'm sorry." Dino said sincerely. "I know that's what you didn't want to hear, but it's the cold, harsh truth. Humans...we don't have such a glamorous life after all. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're here with me now, and I'm glad that you've decided to choose the Cavallone mansion out of all places to come out of the forest, but a romantic affair between the two of us really won't work. I just like you as a friend, nothing more."

Moriko nodded, biting her lips. Her heart twisted so painfully, she wanted to bury her face into the jacket that Dino had given her and cry and cry and cry. But she left Dino's jacket back at the mansion, back where _he _was, and she couldn't go back to get it. She could only clutch the handle of her sun umbrella to hide the shaking tremors of her hands.

"D-Dino...you really don't feel _anything _for me?" It was selfish of her, she knew. She shouldn't have had such high hopes in the first place. Even if she weren't a vampire, Dino would have no reason to just accept her as she is and fall in love with her. Feelings didn't work that way.

Dino sighed and combed his hair with his hands. "It's not that I don't feel anything for you, it's just..."

Without warning, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

Dino stiffened and she let her lips linger, hoping badly that he would respond to her kiss. Nothing happened; this kiss was less spectacular than the one she had managed to land before Dino had thrown her out of the mansion on his birthday. Even when she let her fangs scrape over his lips gently, he didn't do anything. When she pulled away, he had a look of severe disappointment in his eyes. "Nothing, Dino? You don't feel anything?" _It was worth a try. _She told herself. _It was a gamble, but it was worth a try. Now I know his answer for sure. _

"Don't be childish. There's no way this could work." He whispered in reply, moving away from her to lean against the door on the right. He hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but with the sudden kiss, he was uncomfortably reminded of the desperation of the women wanting to be his wife for his money. She was nothing like them, he now knew, but the similarities unnerved him all the same. She cast him a forlorn look and looked down at her hands, now twisting the hem of her shirt.

"I'm sorry." She apologized softly. Dino said nothing.

They spent the rest of the car ride in silence.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm so sorry for the drop in quality, guys. To be honest, I've rushed this slightly to get it up in time, so it'll probably read a little rushed. I was a little ambitious with the plot as well, so it's a little action driven (Bahahah a little hahaha I'm such a failure I'm sorry forgive me I'm a little bit of a mental wreck right now...)

So um, I really don't blame you if you feel like whacking me over the head with a blunt object, but at least let me thank those who have fav'ed, followed and reviewed. Thanks so much for sticking with me, guys, and I'm a little upset that I probably let you guys down but hopefully I'll be feeling better next week (not potentially sick and swamped under a whole bunch of things to do...) and I'll give you guys a proper chapter to get this story back on track.

Reviewers: ** 18, anyandeveryanime, kimichee, HG59, PrincipessaBel, RainyDaes** and** Alessia Kyouya. **

Thanks for putting up with me and my horrible writing. Now I'm going to go get some sleep. I hope you guys get at least some satisfaction and entertainment out of this. OTL

Thanks, everyone!


	11. Chapter 10: The Monster Outside

A/N: Sorry for the late update and for the weird timelining in this chapter. I have exams in two weeks and I'm freaking out like crazy but I just wanted to leave you guys with something before I leave for another month. Sorry for the late updates, I'm really sorry but my work is crushing me right now.

Yes. That's my sob story of the day. (pfft.) So yeah~ Enjoy!

P.S. This chapter has two parts. First part is about Hibari's adventures in the forest (That makes it sound way too merry, doesn't it?) and what he does leading up to present time, when he made the call for Dino.

The second part, of course, is a continuation of Dino and Moriko's side of the story from after they escaped the mansion and are taking the helicopter away from the _thing_.

* * *

~Part 1: **Hibari Kyoya**~

* * *

"_Let me tell you a story. A story of your ancestor...You are curious about your past, yes?"_

_The voice was ancient, powerful._

_Unease rippled through the forest. Birds flitted above him nervously, letting out short, high-pitched chirps as they rushed about. When _he_ spoke, Hibari could hear the voice vibrating within his own skull, and his lips twitched upwards in a snarl. 'Mukuro', had been his automatic conclusion, but that soon proved to be wrong. No matter how hard he stretched his mind, he couldn't sense even a sliver of the slippery illusionist's trademark mist flames. For some reason, the lack of Mukuro's presence seemed to irk him even more. Perhaps it was because he couldn't understand the manifestation of something else that could reach into his mind just as Mukuro had done the first time the illusionist had possessed him._

_He hated not knowing._

_With his tonfas raised in hand, he stalked deeper into the forests' depths. There was something here, and he could sense it. The nervous chattering of all the small animals in the inhabited burrows around him only proved to strengthen his suspicions. Cautiously, he walked forward. He was all too aware of his own breathing, the quick inhales and exhales marked his steps as he made his way through the foliage._

_Something darted behind him, and Hibari turned to follow the motion. It was gone in an instant, leaving nothing in its' wake aside from the slow flutter of leaves. When Hibari turns again to scan his surroundings, a thick silence has settled over the area, almost as if the forest itself was trying to hide the mysterious creature from prying eyes. Hibari narrowed his orbs, his pupils darting back and forth. If there were something moving, he would not miss it. He was going to get to the bottom of this mystery, right here and now._

_Abruptly, the singing of the birds in the trees stopped. He turned, almost too late to block the blow that came hurtling at his head. Taking a few steps back, he tried to reassess the situation, but to no avail. Something rushed out and clawed across his arm. Hibari didn't even flinch, not even when the deep laughter bounced around the insides of his skull, giving him a headache. He wanted nothing but to bite the invisible creature to death. Hatred boiled in his veins; a feeling both familiar and yet so alien to him. Never had Hibari felt such vehement hatred towards a being, not since he'd met Mukuro, and even then his anger towards Mukuro's actions had somewhat calmed him down. This was a toying of his emotions to a new level, and Hibari hated, absolutely __**hated **__the feeling._

_Unlocking the chains on his tonfas, he swept the surroundings with his chains, creating a web of metal where the chains wrapped themselves in the trees. He stopped and waited, a smirk adorning his face. A rush of cloud flames laced themselves through the links in the chains, enveloping his section of the forest in a harsh purple glow. The flames fluttered and licked eagerly at tree trunks, but didn't spread. They were under Hibari's control, and he will not lose control over such an insignificant creature._

_Even so, when he finally came face to face with the being, his heart almost stopped cold. Slowly, the thing bore down on him and the two of them began to tear the forest apart. An age-old battle, Hibari Kyoya's heart told him._

_He should've settled this conflict years and years ago._

* * *

_He_ had crushed his pride. But even Hibari knew when a fight was lost, and he wasn't so proud as to walk away from something that could potentially take his life. That was the policy of all animals; survival over all else, and Hibari thought it wise to follow the rules of the animal kingdom.

It was fortunate that the being living in the forest had thought to let him leave. He had been certain that he'd be impaled on his way out, and so had kept his tonfa chains unravelled and at the ready, eyes darting from side to side for any sign of motion. The forest had grown deathly quiet, the birds had stopped singing, and the canopy had darkened with the passing of the day. Occasionally, a thin ray of darkening golden light would leak through the tough layers of leaves above him, splashing on the floor, tantalizing. But Hibari Kyoya knew better than to follow the well worn path, for it must lead to a trap.

He had turned to walk towards the heart of the forest, or what he thought was the heart of the forest. As he neared the edge and as he caught a glimpse of the sturdy brown brick wall that fenced the Cavallone estate, he could hear the deep chuckles reverberating within his skull, a grim reminder of how powerful the thing he had wanted to fight against.

When he reached the Cavallone mansion once more and had taken notice of Moriko and Cavallone's interaction, he had all but sighed in relief, but that relief was quickly chased away by the appearance of the _disgusting _mist flame wielder and his three herbivorous lackeys.

They had brawled, a fight that Hibari had confidently thrown himself into, familiar with the movements of his tonfas and the solid, metal strikes that had resulted from his clashing with Rokudo Mukuro. It was a fight fit for his skill level, a _human _challenge, and a victory that he was convinced remained in his grasp. But the fight had broken off all too quickly, and even he could see that there had been something bothering the mist guardian. While he wasn't usually one to care, the distracted air around Mukuro made for a disappointing fight, and besides, his whole body ached with the wounds from the forest encounter.

Although Hibari would _loathe _to reveal the pain.

* * *

He made his decision to leave a few days later, when Mukuro had taken his associates well out of his range and he had deemed that the Cavallone mansion had no more to offer him.

Of course, the bucking horse complained. Moriko's name came up many times in the effort to persuade Hibari Kyoya to stay, but even the thought of drawing out the vampire's potential didn't sit as well as him as it had first done. He wanted to leave this place, leave Italy for the safety of his hometown and for a few familiar sights. He longed to patrol the streets of the small and peaceful town, to stroll down the corridor of Namimori Middle and turn his nose up at the scurrying herbivores that occupied it's small classrooms. He wanted to lounge on the roof and gaze at the sky. But most of all, he wanted to be free of the constant death intent that spread its tendrils around the Cavallone grounds. It was a thin, murderous and invisible weapon that continually rammed into his mind, wearing down his mental barriers and eating into his very being. Moriko had sensed it occasionally, of that he was sure. This was why she stared into the forest so often.

Dino, of course, was being clueless. But then again, Hibari had always known that Cavallone Dino needed to have everything spelled out for him.

Hibari supposed that the first step to doing anything right was to find out about his ancestor.

_You're right, little one. _The forest creature had whispered into his mind the night before he was due to leave. _Run, with your tails between your legs, heart quivering in fear. You have an impressive yearning for blood for a human body, but it cannot be compared to years and years of __**rage, anger, hatred. **__You will not be able to beat me, I ensure you. _

_So run while you can. _

And on that night, Hibari vowed to kill the creature once and for all. And the only way he could do it was to consult a dead man, one who had done the very thing he set out to do.

* * *

The air was impossibly still back in Namimori.

As he took his usual morning stroll through the forest, he could sense a palpable fear lacing itself through the town's usually docile atmosphere. Hibari had almost slammed his tonfa into the nearest building out of pure rage. How was it that the creature was able to haunt him all the way over here? Had it become that powerful in such a short span of time? He knew he had to act quickly; the creature was gaining power with every second he spent mulling over his actions. But he hadn't thought that the being would be able to follow him all the way back to his sanctuary.

He had strolled the town like an animal marking it's territory, occasionally glaring into the forest that marked Namimori's borders. The mountains, which had once seemed so protective of the small town, now loomed over the buildings and its inhabitants, casting a dark shadow over everything. Even the sun's rays didn't touch the concrete anymore. It bathed the world around him in an eerily cold manner.

"Hibari, Hibari!" Even Hibird could feel it. He could see the fear present in his prized canary's beady little eyes. Hibird flapped its wings nervously at Hibari and flitted in the direction of the forest, circling back before he could touch any of the tree's branches.

_Who are you, and what do you want? _Hibari snarled in his mind.

A breeze wafted through the trees, ruffling the leaves and sending petals spiraling downwards. The wind sounded like laughter in Hibari's weary mind. He yearned to rest, lean against the nearest surface and shut his eyes to the world. But duty comes first, and Hibari would not abandon _Namimori _of all things to the monster's vulgar grasp. He would definitely fight tooth and nail for the town's continued existence, even at the cost of his own life.

So he put the existence of the ancient being right out of his mind, determined to continue his daily routine.

* * *

With every passing day, Hibari felt more confident. This was his home, his territory, and he'd be damned if he was going to give it up without a fight. Hibird seemed to fluff up in his confidence, and had gone back to circling the treetops, tweeting at the morning sun and chirping the Namimori anthem proudly. The old school song had begun to sound more like a war cry.

In the morning, he would go on his daily patrol. The people of the town were unaware of the danger that lurked right before them. They went about on their business without a worry in the world, shouting their wares and bowing nervously whenever Hibari strolled past, quivering at his cold gaze.

Finally, he reached his targeted destination. Before him rose Namimori Chuu, in his eyes the proudest landmark of this little town. The whitewashed walls remained gleaming and well kept. Class was still ongoing at the moment, so the grounds were quiet and peaceful. Striding into the main hall, he turned to look at the corridors that he used to patrol. He turned to head up to the roof.

And stopped, one foot on the first step leading up to the roof.

The ground had rumbled, almost as a warning to his actions. He could hear distant laughter in the back of his mind. His hand gripped the railings with enough force to dent the metal slightly, and he cast his glare at the ground. Was this an earthquake? No, it was _his _doing for sure. _He _was warning Hibari to tread carefully, because everything he owned could collapse within the blink of an eye.

Even his precious, sturdy Namimori Middle, the school that he had worked so hard to protect.

Deliberately taking another slow step, he registered the brief tremble beneath the floor once more. If he hadn't been tuning his senses into looking for this miniature earthquake, he wouldn't have felt it. He smirked. So then, _his _power wasn't fully developed yet. His appearance in Namimori was just a bluff, and Hibari needn't worry about _his _presence.

A low wind raked through his hair as he opened the door to the rooftop. He could feel _his _disgruntled retreat from his peaceful little town. As Hibari had expected; Italy was where _he _was currently located, and he had retreated for the time being. Hibari had unconsciously won this round, when he figured out that the tension strung through his small beloved town had been something more of a bluff than an actual threat. He smirked at the sky, challenging and confident. When _his _power was fully formed, he would be ready to take _him _on. And Hibari Kyoya never loses.

_You are wrong, child. _

The only sign of his surprise is his eyes widening a fraction. Hibari slammed one hand down onto the railing that fenced the rooftop.

"What do you want." He muttered lowly.

_In order to conceal my true power, I have suppressed how much you can sense my presence. In fact, I'll show you what I'm capable of. Would you like to see? _

The ground shook once more, harder, violently enough to throw Hibari momentarily off balance. Hibird came circling down from the sky, chirping in alarm. The canary didn't dare alight on the ground for fear of losing it's balance, and so fluttered nervously around Hibari's head. An alarm bell rang out in the school behind him; he could hear chairs and tables being pushed back and alarmed shouts sounding out in the corridors. The teachers had begun ushering the first classes out onto the field in the back of the school, where everyone sat in rows with their head bowed, trembling. The rest of the school followed in a torrent of panicked footsteps, the girls clutching onto each other in fright and boys clenching their fists and stumbling along.

The ground shook harder, and the people lined up on the field screamed. Hibari felt the very foundation of Namimori Middle move, the walls of his beloved school creaking under the strain of the earth's movement. He felt _helpless. _It wasn't like he could keep the school together through sheer will...

_Could he? _

Pouring his irritation and desire to _bite HIM to death_ into his Vongola bracelet, he watched as the purple flames fed into the foundation of the building. But Cloud flames would not do much, they were meant for propagation, weren't they? His will wasn't enough. _His will wasn't enough..._

A loud crack sounded throughout the area, rendering everyone silent. He watched with widened eyes as a long, dark line snaked through the middle of the second building, running up along the walls and shattering windows. The children down on the field screamed as glass rained down on them. The teachers ushered them all forwards and away from the falling projectiles.

"EVERYONE, calm down! Please move away from the edge of the field!" Principal Kusanagi was shuffling along, pushing the children towards the middle of the field, his back turned to the creaking building that was slowly ripping itself in half. In front of him, one of the female teachers screamed and pointed upwards, yelling at him to move, move, _move!_

Hibari could only watch as a piece of glass rammed into the old principal's back. Blood splashed onto the field. The female teacher was still screaming, a thin keening noise that rented the air in two, slicing through the deafening silence that had followed the mindless violence that had taken place. Kusanagi slumped forward, pale and lifeless, his blood draining out of the wound in his back. The glass had impaled him cleanly, protruding from his chest like a jagged, bloodied dagger.

And then suddenly, the trance was broken. The students screamed and stood, thinking only of getting away from the scene, getting away from the glass, getting away from the school. They ran towards the gate with uneven steps, staggering and howling with confusion and fear. Another round of windows broke with the earthquake, glass shards raining down on the students struggling to get out of the field. The teachers could only watch helplessly as some of the children were struck down or jostled to the side because of the panic rush. Many of teachers bravely stood back and ushered them out to retain some semblance of order. Some of them walked over to Principal Kusanagi's limp body and heaved him upright, pulling out their phones and screaming for the ambulance to arrive.

Hibari's beloved Namimori was going to be ruined. Absolutely _livid, _Hibari pushed his total will into his purple flames, willing them to lace through the building's foundation and at least provide some semblance of protection for the already shaking concrete. He could feel _his_ laughter, _his _delight at having caused so much damage on something so dear to Hibari, and he could feel the creature's anticipation at swallowing the whole of Namimori into the earth...

A loud wail cut him off.

"LAMBO-SAMA DOESN'T WANT TO DIE!"

Lambo was one of the only people left on the field, the now ten year old child bawling his eyes out amidst the mass panic that had just happened. Beside him, Ipin was tugging on his shirt, trying to get him to move so that he wouldn't get trampled by fellow students or impaled by the falling glass.

"Lambo! Don't cry now, we have to leave! Lambo!"

"LAMBO-SAMA DOESN'T WANT TO DIE!" Lambo repeated, screaming his fear into the surroundings. Ipin could only huddle helplessly next to him, shivering and terrified.

Without warning, lightning struck.

Lambo's fear had transferred into his will to survive, and his lightning flames crackled through the air, latching onto the walls, seeping into the ground, spreading throughout the area to root itself deep in Namimori's foundation. The buildings, which had retained a purple glow from Hibari's will to protect, was now laced with green. Hibari felt the power from where he was standing on the roof, felt the way Lambo's flames strengthened the concrete and laced through the glass to keep it together, knitting the building back upright.

_And from the Cloud, Lightning struck. Lightning's ability is to harden and strengthen against opposition, a defence for the family. _

Hibari closed his eyes. _So the useless herbivorous lightning isn't that useless after all. _He sent out his cloud flames to work with the lightning, expanding the network of cackling green flames and giving Lambo's flames a passage throughout the school. Lambo responded to his flames, unwittingly pouring his power into Namimori Chuu's walls.

The creature retreated with a disgruntled sigh as the crack slowly disappeared from the walls, the windows repaired themselves and gleamed with the hardened lightning flames.

* * *

A recovery process had started for the students of Namimori Chuu. The parents and citizens of the town wandered bewilderedly around, looking for their children, staring horror stricken at the pieces of bloodied glass littering the floor.

Everything seemed out of place. Namimori Chuu had gone back to being pristine as usual, showing no sign of the strains from the recent earthquake. Everything seemed impossibly peaceful. The officials were still trying to figure out where the glass shards had come from. The hospitals had filled up rapidly with shocked students, some of them sporting cuts from when the falling glass had narrowly missed them. Some of the students had more serious injuries from being pushed around by the crowd, tripping or having bigger pieces of glass fall on them.

The only fatality was Principal Kusanagi.

Strangely, the earthquake had only majorly affected Namimori Chuu. The town had felt the severe shaking, but there were no foundational damages, no pieces of glass and debris lying around.

A few streets away from the catastrophe that had become of his beloved school, Hibari was leaving the scene with hurried, purposeful steps, two ten-year-olds in tow.

"Hibari-san, were are we going?" Ipin asked curiously. Her blushing gaze was directed to the ground, and her heart thudded madly. She was glad Fon had let her seal away her pinzu time bomb before this happened.

"Back to the shrine. I have some business to attend to." He replied curtly.

"Um...if I may ask, why are we required to follow you then, Hibari-san?" If it weren't for Ipin's polite manner, and if it weren't for the debt he now owed the lightning guardian lagging behind Ipin, Hibari would've been tempted to just leave the two children at Sawada's old home and just attend to his business himself. But in the best of his interests, he decided to keep Lambo close for now, just in case _he _tried to deal any more property damage in his territory.

"You shall find out soon enough." Hibari answered, unwilling to say much more.

The cow child was being uncharacteristically quiet. Lambo was spent from using his power to keep Namimori together, and was visibly drooping in exhaustion. The only thing keeping him from collapsing was Ipin holding him upright by the arm.

To their relief, Hibari's traditionally Japanese half of the Vongola Japan base came into view. They slid through the hidden entrance easily, Kusakabe waiting with files and an open laptop on the other side. As soon as Hibari came into view, Kusakabe stood and bowed, opening his mouth to no doubt report some of his findings.

Hibari stopped him with one upraised hand.

"Take these two to the spare rooms and have them clean up and rest. We will discuss our next steps in the meeting room later, Kusakabe Tetsuya."

"Hai." Kusakabe bowed again, before turning to Ipin and Lambo and ushering them out of the main area quietly. Lambo still wasn't talking. Ipin was looking increasingly worried, no doubt having noticed that something was wrong with the current state of matters and that Hibari wasn't simply annoyed at his school almost being destroyed in a freak earthquake.

He sent Kusakabe Tetsuya to Italy as soon as possible, so that Kusakabe would be able to scout out the situation in Italy in Hibari's place.

* * *

The next few days had been spent in a kind of uneasy peace, with Lambo and Ipin hardly speaking for fear of incurring Hibari's wrath. They were kept in the spare rooms and looked after by other members of Hibari's Foundation. Hibari stayed calm, about the recent happenings in Namimori. The creature had retreated completely from Namimori, Hibari could sense it. There were no longer menacing tendrils of hate circling the small town, no more warning tremors whenever he walked the streets.

He supposed that a few days of peace would be enough for _him_ to wreck havoc in another country altogether. A few days later, and Hibari decided to go on the offensive.

The first thing Hibari did was to make a phone call to the bucking bronco. He waited impatiently for the phone to pick up, and when it finally connected, he growled his message as quickly as possible.

"Herbivore, get out of there. The mansion is going to fall."

There was some muffled static in the background, much to his frustration. Hibari almost slammed his phone down in anger when Dino could only mumble a "what?" in response to his statement. "Herbivore, get out." He repeated, but then the line went dead.

The next number he dialed was Reborn's. Hopefully the arcobaleno would be able to give him some insight on what he should do next.

* * *

~Part 2: **Dino & Moriko**~

* * *

"_Father?"_

_It had come to the point where Dino wasn't even sure if his father was listening to him anymore. He clenched his chubby little hand, one finger going to flick at the locks on the doors of the car. A few weeks ago, they had to leave their old home for an unknown reason. But Father was powerful and Father was wealthy, Dino had quickly learnt. There was already another big house being built for them, a big estate that would be even 'bigger' and 'better' than the one that Dino had been living in just a few weeks before. Or that's what Romario said anyway. Well, if Romario was coming with them, Dino supposed he didn't really mind. Romario was the only person who cared about how Dino felt anyway. "Papa, when are we going to arr-..."_

"_Stop playing with the lock." A deep rumble came from the seat in front. Dino flinched and withdrew his hand immediately, nervously running it along the seatbelt. Depending on his father's moods, Dino would get a slap to the head later or a really harsh 'talking to'. He knew he had been a little bit annoying on this trip, always asking whether they had reached the estate yet, and his father wasn't the most patient of men. In times like these, Dino wished for his mother's comforting presence. He wished for her sweet scent, her gentle touch. She would brush her hand across his hair, smoothing the fringe out of his face. She would sing to him softly, or beg his father not to treat him too harshly, for he was still 'a growing boy' and he was still 'learning from his mistakes'. His mother was tolerant and beautiful, and Dino didn't know why she had to leave. Memories of the fireball that had become of her car was still seared into his mind, and sometimes he would wake screaming for her, feeling the fire brushing across his skin and charring his flesh._

_A few minutes later, they were switched over to a helicopter. Just before they got on, Dino's father yanked him off the steps leading to the machine. Dino came face to face with his father, a man with the same blond hair as his. Dino had inherited his mother's warm brown eyes, so the black pupils that stared back at him were alien to his own reflections in the mirror. Dino wanted to scream, to cry, like any other six year old would do when they were about to receive a severe scolding._

_He stayed silent, watching as his father raised his hand, no doubt to hit him. Behind him, Romario bit his lip and watched on worriedly. The young assigned bodyguard and personal caretaker of Dino was quite fond of the young master, and it hurt to see the child berated for something so normal, for something so reasonable for his age. Dino was already so much more mature than he was supposed to be, growing up with books and weapons for company instead of playing outside under the watchful gaze of his parents._

_The blow came down, quick and painful. Dino's head snapped to the side. Tears welled up in his eyes, but his father didn't stop to wipe them away, something that Dino was _thankful _for. If his father had stayed, it would only be to give him another blow for crying._

_Romario was there in an instant, wiping away at the clear liquid trickling down the young master's face. Dino let himself feel cared for, only for a little while, before gently pushing Romario's hand away and hanging his head, one hand hiding the shameful bruise from sight._

_They got onto the helicopter without another word and took off in silence. Dino glanced outside, watching as the scenery passed underneath him. They were flying over lakes and mountains, leaving their old house far, far behind. Dino's old home, where memories of his mother lingered, memories of happier days, where he was wanted and loved and his father had, on one occasion, even mentioned that he might just be a little proud of the 'little useless son' that he had raised. It had all changed when his mother had died, hadn't it?_

_Deep inside his little heart, Dino wished that it had been his father inside the car that day._

_But that was impossible, and she was gone._

* * *

The droning noise of the helicopter roused him from his sleep slowly. Dino blinked and sheepishly wiped the drool from the side of his mouth with the back of his hand. Outside, the scenery passed silently by, only accompanied by the rhythmic whoosh of the helicopter blades striking at the air. Behind him, he could hear Romario's light snores. Moriko had become quiet, so silent, that he had almost forgotten that she was with them. Of course, it wasn't like he actually forgot at any given time; she was the very reason they were fleeing, wasn't she? Or so Dino told himself. The thing that had been bothering them was in some way related to Moriko herself, and also in some way related to the Mafia. Reborn had said something about holding it back, hadn't he?

Beside him, Kusakabe Tetsuya steadily drove the helicopter forward. Dino smiled. As usual, Kyoya was a no-show. He could just imagine the words that would come out of Hibari's mouth, words regarding herbivorous behavior and wasting his time.

A flock of birds drifted leisurely underneath the aircraft, and Dino turned as he heard Moriko's little, amazed gasp. He met her eyes and she shrunk into the shadows, her eyes immediately flicking away from his face. She seemed almost ashamed of meeting his gaze, and he supposed it was because of the way he rejected her confession. Well, what was he to do? Lie to himself and accept? Share kisses with a vampire? They weren't even of the same species, and that was far from the only thing keeping them apart. Dino didn't feel anything for her, apart from the feeling one would get with a friend whom one was rather fond of.

_But is that really true? _His mind tugged again at memories of an affection from a distant past, but he shook his head to get rid of the painfully nostalgic feeling. _That's not me, _he told himself.

If she had disappeared, Dino would miss her, but it would not largely affect what he was doing and planning on doing for the family. It may be hurtful for her to hear such things, but it wasn't something that Dino was planning on amending just for his sake. The Mafia functioned in such a way anyway; Famiglia first, love and everything else came afterwards.

Slowly, he turned back to face the front, his eyes scanning the horizon. He refused to let himself feel any remorse for what he had done, no matter how broken-hearted Moriko was. She was the foolish one for thinking that he would've developed feelings for her in such a short time. But still...Dino let a small, saddened smile cross his face. Maybe he would treat her to ice cream later. He hadn't meant to put it so bluntly. Perhaps they could still be friends...

Suddenly, the helicopter lurched to the left.

Kusakabe let out a yell of surprise and grabbed the joystick, which caused the helicopter to tilt to the right. Romario had started muttering quickly into the headphones, shuddering in his seat and struggling with his seatbelts so that he could help stable the helicopter with his weight.

"Romario! What's going on?" His train of thought had flown completely out of the window. He cursed silently; the sudden movements of the helicopter had caused him to bite his tongue by accident. The taste of his own blood filled his mouth, and he heard a stifled gasp from behind him.

_Shit. When was the last time she fed? The smell of blood must be driving her insane!_ Unknowingly, Dino was leaning away from Moriko and out of her reach. He could hear her growling and thrashing in the back seat, strapped in with her seatbelt and unable to reach him. He felt fear growing within his stomach; what if Moriko decided that she hated him because of the way he rejected her? What if she just decided to rid him altogether? Such doubts circled in his mind, shot through with guilt and remorse. What would she feel if she found out about the way he was questioning her actions?

The helicopter lurched again, and Dino was thrown back into his seat.

Moriko had gone strangely quiet. He sneaked a glance at her.

She was sitting in the back, hunched into herself, wide-eyed with terror and conflicting emotions. She was baring her fangs, a sign of anger and fear, but she wasn't reaching for Dino. Her eyes were darting at the scenery, searching for something...presumably the thing that was holding their helicopter in place. Kusakabe was jerking at the joystick, trying to gain altitude, but from the shuddering of the helicopter, it seemed as if something had strapped them to the earth.

She bit her lip. Hunger raged deep within her stomach, boiling and yearning to be fulfilled. She wanted to lean forward and bite Dino, to taste the sweet blood running through his veins, to lap at his life liquid without a care in the world.

She clamped down on those _disgusting _feelings with a vengeance, turning away from Dino purposely and letting _his _presence fill her mind momentarily. Her hunger redirected into anger, sending violent reds through her vision. She wanted to claw and fight and _survive. _She should've never gotten into this metal deathtrap, but wherever Dino went, she went.

_He _struck a moment before she reacted. A thick tree root pierced the helicopter windshield, passing right through to the back of the helicopter and pinning it in place. Kusakabe let out a shriek of horror and fell to the side, the root having lashed a long line across his jaw. His blood trickled to the floor and Moriko groaned with hunger.

_No, protect. Dino's here. I don't want him to see my animalistic side, remember? I don't want him to look at me with disgust!_

But it's too late, isn't it? A tiny, rebellious voice whispered in her ear. He had already rejected you, Moriko. You'll have no chance of being with him anyway. Better to let him die? Better to rid yourself of this stupid obsession and to set your wild side free?

"SHUT UP!" She roared, lunging at the root and slashing into it with her hand. It felt like rubber more than wood and bark. She could hear the creature howling in agony as her fingernails dug deep into _his _flesh. Sap leaked from the cut she made, looking more like crimson blood than anything else. With great satisfaction she hacked away at the tendrils of the tree that had buried itself in the helicopter's interior, intent on pinning the helicopter to the ground like a mere insect.

Another root stretched impossibly high from the ground, lashing across the helicopter rotors. The helicopter stalled and then plummeted, right into the arms of the creature. Romario was yelling, Kusakabe was tapping desperately on the control panel to no avail. Dino was trying to undo his seatbelt and reach the parachutes in the back. Another root slashed into the belly of the helicopter and shot through the ceiling, ripping apart the seat that Romario had vacated just a few minutes ago.

And then everything stopped.

Dino held his breath as the helicopter creaked in mid air, only held up by the three roots that protruded from the metallic aircraft's belly.

A tree root rose, snaking through the air right beside the helicopter and tapping against the windows. It stopped at a position next to Dino's head, wavering there, looking uncannily like a beast peering in from outside, deciding whether Dino should be it's next prey. "B-boss?" Romario called uncertainly, but Dino was frozen with fear. There was a voice...a voice inside his head...

_Cavallone Dino, hmm? I wonder, does humanity really need you? _

Yes, he wanted to say. Yes, my Famiglia needs me, I need to live, I need to survive...

_How selfish of you. But then again, that's human nature. _

The root reared back and struck through the window. Romario yelled out in alarm and Dino closed his eyes, waiting for the finishing blow. He didn't even have time unleash his whip for defense, didn't he? And yet his hand had instantly gone for the sleek, familiar leather handle, as if in a last futile attempt to ensure his own safety.

Blood splattered onto Dino's shirt.

Dino opened his eyes and let out a shout of horror. Moriko had leaned over him and the root had gone cleanly through her chest, puncturing her lung and rendering her speechless and breathless. She leaned over Dino protectively, eyes slanted _beautifully _in a catlike stare of hatred at the being that had just jabbed itself through her body.

"Mo...ri..ko?" He spluttered.

She held the root back with one hand, the other clutching at her umbrella, the parasol that she so valued. The helicopter creaked precariously; Romario and Kusakabe watched the scene with gaping mouths. Dino leaned forward, almost disbelieving the sight before his eyes. "Moriko? H-Hey!"

She had lurched forward, her eyes flashing silver, a sharpness revealed that only surfaced when she needed to feed. Instinctively, he moved back from her and the hurt flashed across her face, too quickly for him to register immediately.

The root wrenched itself from her body and ripped the side door of the helicopter. The metal aircraft tilted to the side, and Dino watched as Moriko slipped, her hold on the her parasol loosening. She had lost too much blood, was far too weak to stay in place. She had tilted back and closed her eyes.

_I don't mind dying for you, Dino. If only you could hear me now. _

"Moriko!" He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling. Her legs dangled from the edge of the helicopter, and the bloodied tree root was snaking around her ankle, intent on pulling her down. With a growl of anger, Dino fought it off with his whip, keeping his hold on her steady. The living, writhing root retreated. Romario had darted forward to hold the back of Dino's shirt so that the Cavallone Decimo wouldn't fall out.

"Don't close your eyes, Moriko. We'll get some help soon, okay? Kusakabe! Phone Reborn and tell him what happened. See if you can get any of the controls to wor- well actually, nevermind, we're at risk of blowing up since the fuselage seems to have been wrecked by the attack. Romario, is there a first aid kit anywhere? See if you can get to it."

She was _crying. _Tears of desperation and pain streamed down her porcelain cheeks, splashing onto Dino's arms. He hushed her, hugged her close, apologized and thanked her, begging her not to give up. But he could feel the strength sapping from limbs. She was no more than a ragdoll in his arms, limp and unresponsive. Sunlight splashed onto her lower back. Her head lolled, and the only thing that he was sure was registering his presence was her liquid mercury eyes, fixated on his face. Her arms twitched weakly, as if she wanted to return his embrace. He shook her. "Moriko, come on, we just have to wait a little bit more, alright?"

"Cavallone Decimo-san, Reborn is approaching with Sawada-san and a rescue helicopter. They should be here shortly, providing nothing stops them from approaching."

"D-Dino?" Moriko managed. Crimson colored her lips, trailing down her jaw. Dino wiped her mouth with his jacket sleeve, hand reaching up to thumb away the tears that traced clear lines down her cheeks. "It hurts..." She whimpered at him.

"I know, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so careless as to stay motionless, I should've been able to defend myself, I should've been able to move out of the way, you shouldn't have had to get hurt, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." But Dino knew that he was apologizing for more than that. He promised himself that if they got out of this mess, if Reborn arrived fast enough and saved her life, he would never doubt her again. Heck, he'd stop fighting the rising feelings of affection within him.

"Hey, Moriko." Dino started, smiling down at her. Her lips twitched at him in an attempt to smile through her tears. A muffled sob escaped her mouth.

"Wait a little longer, okay? I'll take you out for ice cream after this, just the two of us. It can be a date, alright? We'll have fun together alright?" _I owe her that much. She saved my life. _She nodded weakly and smiled, really smiled at back at him.

"Y..you promise?" There was hope in her smile now, a hope that Dino hadn't seen since he had rejected her. Well, now the situation has changed, hasn't it?

"I promise." He whispered.

And then the root lashed out once more and wrapped around her waist, wrenching her out of his grasp. Dino cursed and stood, losing his footing slightly as the helicopter tilted once more. "MORIKO!" He screamed. "LET GO OF HER!" He went to grab his whip, all clumsiness forgotten, his movements fluid, furious. The root bobbed and swung out of his reach, Moriko securely in its grasp. Dino unravelled his whip and swung it towards the root, but the leather failed to snag the despicable monster, falling uselessly against the side of the helicopter. Responding to his cries, the root's grip on Moriko loosened and she fell into the canopy below.

Right in front of his eyes, he could see her falling, falling away from him.

He yelled her name, ignoring the crashing and cracking noises that came from below him. She couldn't be dead. She wouldn't be killed by such a fall, would she? She wouldn't, she was strong enough to survive. She was a vampire, for God's sake! She would be able to live on, wouldn't she? The canopy shifted to cover her location and Dino cursed. How would he be able to find her now?

He felt exhausted somehow, completely weary, in shock because of all that had happened since this morning. In shock, because Moriko had literally been ripped from his grasp, leaving a gaping hole in his heart that throbbed painfully with her absence. He prayed, really _prayed _that she hadn't died upon impact, but it was hard to tell, what with the strange supernatural forces shifting the forest and disorientating his vision. He wanted to cry. And so he did, grasping her left-behind parasol and shamelessly letting the tears trace their way down his tired face. The warmth, the feeling of her in his arms was slowly fading away with the setting of the sun.

In the distance, a green Leon-copter steadily made its way towards their mid-air wreckage.

A few seconds too late, Dino thought bitterly.

* * *

A/N: Hooray for ripping my OC shipping apart! :3 I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please leave me with a comment! I'll try to get another chapter up before my exams, but no guarantees, alrighty? :3

Thanks to all those who reviewed my previous chapter: **anyandeveryanime, kimichee, Alessia Kyouya, shanagi95, whitewhite, Star1006918, Eruruu4 and Jebli (guest)! **I'm eternally grateful to all the support that everyone has given me thus far (including those who have reviewed before or those who favorited and followed my story hehehe).

Oh and thanks to all those who have pointed out inconsistencies or errors in my story so far heheh~ I'm really forgetful, so I'm really grateful that you guys helped me identify the errors. Everyone else, feel free to do so! I will definitely not take offense, teheheh~ in fact, I'll probably thank you like crazy. I'm sorry for not replying to individual reviews, I really do value all the effort that you guys have put into reviewing my fic, but I just hadn't had the time to reply. I'm really sorry! I'll make it up to you guys with a speedy update, hopefully. *bashes head* I'm sorry!


	12. Chapter 11: A Past Best Forgotten (I)

**WARNING: There are gory descriptions in this chapter! **Please tell me if this disturbs anyone (although personally I don't find it that bad...well pfft, I wrote it so of course...). If this does, just review or PM me about it and I'll change it to something milder. Thank you for reading!

* * *

A Past Best Forgotten (Part I)

* * *

_She blinks up at the sun, safely tucked into the branches of the tree that she resided in. The breeze was cool against her porcelain skin. Her bare feet tapped at the rough bark. Leaves flutter slowly down around her, orange and red and twirling in the autumn wind. She stood and stretched with childish joy, relishing in her freedom and the beauty of the world around her. With light taps, she danced along the boughs, feeling the wood shudder beneath her feet. Nearby, birds flap their wings and twitter a song. _

_Somebody called out to her. _

_She blinked and flipped off the tree gracefully, darting side by side through the shadows of the forest. It wasn't a name they called, she realized. She has no name, and was simply referred to as 'Child' or 'The Lost Child'. It was a title, something devoid of identity. Oh, how she yearned for a name! It would be labelling her as something, a creature with thought, an entity with knowledge and soul...A human. _

_Gathering speed, she watched her feet kick up the leaves around her. She wove through the rays of sunlight that pierced the canopy to shine on the insects below, careful not to expose any of her skin to the dangerous rays. The sound of someone calling her reached her ears once more and she quickened her pace so much that she was flying over the ground, her footfalls incredibly light and fast. _

"_There you are!" _

_A face. Pale and youthful, set with glittering, intelligent eyes and a slow, gentle smile. He reached out to her, and she took his hand. He was tall enough to pat her on the head without any trouble, and she was young enough not to object to such treatment. She was still a child, after all. Her unofficial guardian was here. He wore a piece of clothing that draped to his knees, brightly colored red and laced with intricate, small golden designs. They looked like roaring beasts, and she had often stared at them in wonder. Her guardian, Fon, had told her that they were 'dragons'. She had often wondered why there were dragons on his shirt._

"_How was your day, Child?" He asked softly, careful not to disturb the peace that had settled over the forest. _

_She pointed to the trees, where the leaves floated daintily downwards and birds darted about catching insects. In her mind, she wanted to tell him that the birds were singing and the leaves were dancing, but he could not understand the garbled noises that came from her throat. More than ever, she wanted to speak as Fon does, with clear words and syllables. Over the years, she had come to recognize that they strung together to become 'words', but despite Fon's constant encouragement, she would never be able to form them on her own. _

_Instead, she settled for telling him with her eyes and her hands, her expression one of happy satisfaction. He shook her hand slightly and smiled at her innocence. Knowing that she would be in danger to exposure to sunlight, he had brought along a wide sunhat, placing it atop her head in a fluid, practiced motion. She clutched at the hat happily and looked up at him beneath the rim. The hat fell over her eyes; she has yet to grow into the sunhat. Fon smiled and knelt to adjust the rim so that she could see._

"_What would you like to do today, dear little one?" _

_She wanted to run along the riverbank and dip her feet in the water, see the silver scales of the fish reflected in the water surface, the sun's rays bouncing off the mirror bellies of the aquatic animals. She wanted to watch the turtles swimming slowly along before clambering clumsily onto a rock, stretching their necks and blinking sleepily at the sun._

_But first, she wanted to feed._

_Fon understood her best. When she opened her mouth and yawned to cover her hunger, he only gently stroked her midnight locks. "You're hungry, aren't you?" _

_She looked down. She knew that the peaceful man didn't like it when she tore into her prey, especially not in front of him or anyone else. Was his visit going to end so soon? Was he going to leave now so that she could feed? If so, she'd rather put a lid on her hunger and wait, just so that he could stay a while longer. It wasn't often that Fon came to Italy from China, after all. _

"_We'll see what we can do about that, shall we?" _

_She shook her head mutely and opened her mouth again. She was still hungry. _

_Fon sighed rolled his sleeve back to show his forearm. Better to let her feed on him than expose her to the rest of the populace in the little town nearby. It was better if she stayed out of the way of humans, for fear that she would be hurt by their weapons. And, Fon secretly thought, so that she wouldn't drink their blood. She was still young, not yet used to feeding properly, she may seriously injure someone with her methods of 'tearing into the flesh'. _

_When she showed no intention of moving, he placed one hand on the back of her head gently and guided her teeth to one of the veins in his arms. She shook her head and tried to tug away, knowing that she would hurt him if she tried to drink from him. _

"_It's alright, it won't hurt. I'm very strong! It's alright if you hurt me a little bit, you're still learning. You're going to improve, so don't worry." He chuckled lightly as she hesitantly clamped down on his arm, closing her eyes when she felt her fangs scissor into his flesh. Fon didn't even flinch. _

"_Drink slowly." He commanded, with all the air of a kind father telling his child not to inhale his food. Her grey eyes flickered up to meet his gaze, turning silvery with the acceptance of his blood. He could see the hunger raging inside her, the need to feed surfacing. The silver wavered; she was trying to keep her inner beast under control, and he silently egged her on with a small smile. You can do it, his gaze seemed to say. _

_But she couldn't do it. As soon as the first drop of blood hit her tongue, her pupils dilated with pleasure. The hunger overtook her, and her kindly guardian had become, in her eyes, nothing more than prey. _

* * *

She opened her eyes to a glaring, bright light.

Artificial sunlight, she had thought immediately. It shone down on her face, burning her flesh uncomfortably. Her exposed arms, legs and feet were starting to redden with exposure to such a strong light. And she was rendered immobile by the light as well, which worked to the scientists' favor.

She growled when she felt a needle poking into her thigh.

"She's awake, doctor. Should we sedate her?"

Someone passed an appliance over her face. Two fingers stretched her eyes open and a light was shone into her eyes. She wanted to scream and thrash in horror and agony; vampires were _never _supposed to be exposed to this much light. But the intensity of the room's lighting kept her still, and she could only whimper angrily and twitch her fingers. She could feel the pain of the lighting on her, spreading throughout her skin. The light being shone in her eyes was the equivalent of jabbing needles into her irises.

The scientists were sadists. They left the light shining into her eyes for much longer than needed, watching her twitch in agony with a twisted pleasure. Finally, someone yanked her head to the side. She glared, gaze trembling with fear, trying to bare her teeth and growl angrily at the unwanted handling that they imposed on her.

The red of her skin darkened. Some of the scientists poked and prodded at the sore sections of her back upper back and her exposed arms, watching as she strained against her restraints feebly, like a fish out of water.

"Save the torture for later, idiots. We need some basic information on her first."

A female voice, authoritative and strong, rang out through the room. It came from one of the machines attached to the side of the wall. She glared at it in part confusion, part loathing. She wanted to bare her fangs and tear them into someone's flesh, rip them apart and hear their cries, just as they had put her under a microscope and poked and prodded her as if she wasn't alive to feel the pain.

"Sedation?" Another voice asked. This time it was a small, tinny voice, laced with uncertainty and fear.

"No." The woman boomed. "Leave her. She is immobilized underneath the lighting, can't you tell? Look at her, struggling against her bonds weakly." Around the room came murmurs of agreement. Someone waddled over with a clipboard and pen to take some readings of her current condition. There were gasps of surprise when they read out her blood pressure and her heart rate.

She had tuned them all out in her fear. The sounds travelled around her in buzzing waves, sounding like they were spoken from under water. She didn't like these types of humans, she decided. She wanted Dino back, wanted to stay in the happiness of spending days in the Cavallone mansion.

Ah, right. There had been a helicopter crash. She remembered fighting the root, feeling the tree reaching into her flesh, feeling completely and utterly betrayed by the nature that she had grown up next to. Tasting the fear and confusion on her tongue as the helicopter tilted dangerously, feeling the blood dribbling down her chin in warm streams, wondering where it all went, the tears falling down from the corners of her eyes mingling with her bloodied flesh.

And there was Dino. He had promised taking her to eat ice cream, didn't he? He had promised to give her a chance! He had turned his rejection around! She remembered the elation that had come with Dino's announcement, the warm feeling that had settled into her stomach. At the time, she had only felt happiness, forgetting her pain, forgetting _him. _She had foolishly wished to bask in the moment, with Dino close to her, his scent filling her thoughts, his calm, strong voice ringing in her ears, the promise of more happiness to come with his words.

And then she had fallen. She remembered everything now, the brief, terrifying flight through the air, the birds around her cawing, crashing through the branches to reach the floor of the forest, her bones shattering and the pain travelling up her back in waves. The last thing she remembered from her time with Dino had been that he had screamed for her, fought for her, and then she had fallen anyway, let him down, let herself down. _And what about the promise? What about Dino? Would I ever see him again? And these people aren't going to lead me to him, are they? They want to keep me here and keep hurting me. And what if Dino comes here to find me? Would they hurt him too? _

Such anger coursed through her veins at the thought. She jerked violently in her restraints, screaming at the top of her lungs. The scientists scattered away from her, shouting in alarm. Someone tried to turn the light up to blinding, but she wasn't having any of it. Slamming her hand against the portable 'operating table' beneath her, she slowly but painfully managed to peel herself off the metallic surface. The straps and buckles that they had used to keep her down snapped with ease under her brute strength.

The intercom above her crackled to life once more. "Sedate her! What are you waiting for?"

_Strange. _Moriko wondered hazily in the back of her mind. _The woman didn't sound panicked at all. It's almost as if she could predict what I was going to do next. It's almost as if she wants me to do this. _

The white-coats were all startled into action. Some of them brandished needles in front of them, as if they would provide them any protection against her strength. She roared angrily and leapt upon those who tried to approach her first, her fingernails ripping into his limb. With great satisfaction, she smelt the fear of those around her, dimmed by the more potent smell of fresh blood pouring out of the gaping hole she had just made.

She attacked with her teeth next, intent on getting some blood to replenish her wounds. They must've realized that she needed blood to survive, for the wound in her torso and her broken bones had all been healed. Perhaps they were researching her fast regeneration rate without really knowing what she was. She smiled at the thought. She would show them what she was capable of.

It felt so satisfying to dig her teeth into someone's neck. His screams were cut off as she sliced into his throat, tearing out a piece of flesh and leaving blood all over his coat. The rest of his colleagues were more wary now, seeing as she was ready to slaughter for survival.

A whoosh of air was all the warning she got. She tried to twist and avoid the projectile, but it was faster than she was able to move.

She felt the needles burying into her back, swiftly and quietly injecting her with some kind of restraining chemical. She shook her head and reached for her back, but it was already too late. Her energy was quickly draining out of her. It felt like someone had pulled the plug to her movements and stopped her in her tracks as if she was nothing but a machine. She toppled gracelessly to the floor, confusion marking her pale cheeks. Her head hit the floor with enough force to send blinding light shooting through her retinas. She whimpered and lay there, the pain rushing up and down her spine.

The scientists gathered around her. Someone gave her another shot to ensure that she was truly incapable of moving. She could only growl softly as she felt the needle jab into her arm. She didn't have the strength to struggle or move anymore.

_Dino. _She thought. She couldn't even muster the energy to cry at the thought of Dino Cavallone.

They lifted her up easily and strapped her back onto metal trolley. She stared helplessly up at the ceiling, the glaring lights burning into her skin once more. She couldn't move, her eyelids drifting shut slowly. She was tired. So tired. Dino would forgive her if she took a little nap, right?

"Boss, what about Edasaki-san?" One of the scientists prodded the dead body on the floor. It was a ghastly sight, all torn muscles and pink tissue, flesh and blood spilling out onto the floor, but the scientists carefully retained their mask of professional objectivity. The intercom let out a hiss of static, before the woman's voice registered in Moriko's mind again.

"There's no saving him. He has given his life to a good cause, don't you think? However, there is something we can do to avenge his end. Wait until I get down there, and then the real experiment can start. Get a cleaning team to bring the dead body out; it's starting to smell." She didn't sound sympathetic in the least. Instead, she had almost sounded happy with the outcome, with the _cause _of Edasaki's death. She punctuated her words with little, breathless giggles of wonder, laughter that sounded slightly insane in Moriko's mind. She struggled limply as footsteps came closer to her. Through the intercom came the noise of shuffling paper, a noise that Moriko was accustomed to hearing from watching Hibari work, or sitting in Dino's office while he sorted out some 'family stuff'. Abruptly, the static shut off and the lab was thrown into an uneasy silence once more.

Ominously, almost as if purposely tormenting her mentally, footsteps approached her. A dainty, pale hand pressed against her cheek, smoothing her irritated skin. She squinted up at her tormentor and glared hatefully at the person in front of her. Moriko held her breath.

Familiar, golden locks, framing a kindly face. When the woman smiled, her face crinkled up with laughter lines. She looked, in all honesty, like a kindly grandmother. It was only when Moriko started breathing again when the scent registered in her mind.

..._Dino?_

"What are you, darling? Care to tell me?" Her voice sounded even more sinister up close, but Moriko could see that the mask of insanity that the woman wore was just a facade in front of the other scientists. She knew _exactly _what she was doing, she knew what Moriko was. Beneath her frantic hunger for knowledge, the woman in front of Moriko was calm, collected and professional, more so than anyone else in this room.

Everyone else were just sacrificial animals, after all.

Confusion battled shock in her mind. This person had Dino's scent all over her. She even looked like Dino! Her hair was the same color, and they had the same twinkling look in their eyes when they laughed. Were they related? Kin? Moriko's mind spun with unanswered question but she could only rattle against her restraints helplessly.

"My poor dear, who did this to you?" She reached down and unstrapped one of Moriko's limbs. Moriko's finger twitched, before she slowly stretched her arm and hand to get the feeling back into her limbs. Energy trickled slowly back into her body. The effects of the tranquilizer they had injected into her a few moments ago was already wearing off. Her eyes spoke volumes of danger, but the golden haired woman, the woman who reminded her so much of her beloved Dino, didn't so much as flinch. Scientists behind them stepped back in astonishment, and one of them stuttered a brash remark about 'not unstrapping the monster'.

She placed one hand on Moriko's weakly trembling form. "Do you know why you're here?"

Moriko shook her head and answered with a snarl. Seeing her chance, the woman snapped her hand to the two sides of Moriko's jaw, holding her mouth open with surprising strength.

Moriko thrashed desperately. Her fangs glinted in the glare of the harsh, artificial lights, the whiteness of the terrifying jail that she was trapped in. Her hand reached for the woman's throat, but the woman slapped it away with ease. Fire raced up and down the woman's hand, burning her skin and causing Moriko to cry out in pain. As the woman clenched her fist, the fire went out.

"Can a vampire live without her fangs, I wonder?" The woman murmured gently. Her one hand, clamped so firmly around Moriko's jaw, tremored with anticipation. She used her other hand to trace the contours of Moriko's face gently, before slowly stroking one finger along the length of her fangs. "Would you die if I removed these, my darling?"

Without warning, and with all the strength of a vampiress, the woman pulled out one of Moriko's fangs. Moriko let out an ear piercing shriek. A vampire's fangs were essential to survival, so much that if a single fang was removed, it was equivalent to cutting off an arm and a leg. Without hesitation, the woman reached over and pulled out the second of Moriko's fangs. Moriko was crying loudly now, her nails scraping and clawing against the metal in sheer agony. Every time she reached for the woman's hands or flesh, the fire would reappear and send spikes of agony into her already tormented flesh. Her nails left deep grooves in the metal.

Blood filled Moriko's mouth. "D...dino..." She sobbed. His name had become the only source of comfort for her. Her body was aflame with agony, her eyes squeezed shut. She was too weak to save herself. She didn't want this to happen to her. She didn't want to die from starvation. It was a painful, prideless way for a vampire to die. She would be made fun of by the rest of her brethren.

The woman let out an echoing breath of air at the sound of the name leaving Moriko's bloodied lips. Her hand fell limp to her side, and Moriko took this opportunity to rip off her restraints. Compared to the burning in her mouth, the irritating light against her skin was a mere prick on the finger. She made one swipe at the woman, feeling the momentary satisfaction of quick retaliation as her hand struck across the woman's face and tore three, deep gashes into her skin. She had left her mark, just before the terror overwhelmed her.

Blood gushed from the wound.

The woman let out a cry of distress, and the scientists rushed forward to huddle around her and cover her face with pieces of sterilized gauze and cotton balls. The thick scent of blood washed over Moriko and her eyes widened with hunger. But she didn't feel like feeding. No, she _couldn't _feed. Her own blood had filled her mouth a few seconds ago, the bland and tasteless liquid bitter and acrid in her mind.

She sought to escape, to get away from the woman at any cost. A quick glance around the room revealed that it was tightly shut except for the door leading out of the room and the big glass panelling that was built higher than she could jump. There was no escape for her, at least not yet.

Leaping to the farmost corner of the room she could reach, she huddled there, feeling sorry for herself and aching physically and mentally. Her eyes were wide, unblinking, blank with shock and terror. The scent that filled the air held a tinge of Dino's scent, even more so with the spillage of blood. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine that he was beside her, and this nightmare wasn't happening. She could imagine her happiness.

Footsteps. The woman approached her once more. Her face was now heavily bandaged, eyes holding a demonic sadism that made Moriko want to shrink into herself. Behind the woman, some scientists were placing her severed fangs into sealed glass containers. They were nothing more than research data collected to them. Nervously, her tongue flicked the expanse of her mouth, seeking out the emptiness of her row of teeth. What was a vampire without fangs?

"What did you just say?" The woman's voice had taken on a quiet, vulnerable quality, but Moriko didn't even dare to look up. She cringed and cowered, tucking herself into the smallest shape she could manage without hurting herself further.

"I'm asking you nicely, darling. What did you just say? _Dino..._was it?" The hand clutched at her skin again, but she swatted the offending appendage away, nails sharp and raking, desperate to fight back. The woman lurched uncomfortably to the side to avoid Moriko's nails, but then let out a small tsk of impatience before letting the cold, suppressed rage filter into her voice. "If you don't answer, it'll be more than your fangs missing, you _disgusting creature._"

Moriko looked up with all the ferocity of a wild animal being cornered. "I won't tell you, even if you _kill me._" She finally replied.

The crack of a slap across her face sounded throughout the room.

There's no way she would betray Dino.

_But oh, how it hurts. _

* * *

"Ah, Reborn. How are you doing? Do you want some tea?"

The Chinese arcobaleno took graceful, measured steps towards the kitchen and set the kettle boiling. Reborn was residing casually in one of the couches in the living room, but Fon could see the tenseness in the way the hitman's smirk played on his lips but didn't reach his eyes. Reborn's shoulders were tensed, and his fingers were splayed out across his knee, close enough to draw a gun if needed. In normal circumstances, Fon would've been mildly curious, offended even, at such a display of wariness in his own home, but even he knew not to let his guard down in times like these. He had just gotten the news as well, after all. It would be unwise to ignore it and pretend that nothing's happening.

"I'm sure you've heard?" Reborn replied as Fon walked back into the room bearing a tray with two neatly laid porcelain cups of steaming tea. The fragrant aroma of the drink seeped into the tension laid atmosphere of the apartment, soothing both occupants slightly. Reborn took a sip before eying Fon with a stern stare.

"I've heard." Fon stated quietly.

Reborn nodded, a grim smile adorning his face. The hand on his knee tightened, tips of fingers whitening with anger.

"What are you going to do about it, Reborn? You know that it would be breaking the Omerta if you were to act upon the situation. It wasn't a Famiglia who targetted the Cavallone, although the guilty party seems to be working with one." Fon said. His eyes blazed with questions that Reborn would not, _could not _answer. "This isn't just something between Famiglias, for that would be much too simple to solve, would it not?"

Reborn scowled into his tea. "Don't speak riddles at me, Fon. You know something I don't, I suggest you go solve it."

"There now, don't be so sour faced. It's not like they've started the hunt for _everything _yet. Although, seeing as they've allied themselves with the creature that sleeps in the land, I don't think it'll be long before they start. _He _would've given them permission to encroach on his territory so long as they keep their hands off what he considered his. I wonder if they've breached his agreement by capturing the vampiress." Fon took a deep breath and angled his sight to the floor. Fragmented memories played out in his mind. It seemed like so long ago since he held her by the hand and led her around the garden. Flicking open the sleeve of his Chinese robe, he eyed the neat line of scars that marked his forearm and smiled.

"There will be a solution to this problem, Reborn. We'll do what we have to do. Since I'm not tied as heavily to the Mafia, I'll take care of the supernatural side of things. You probably know what to do from now on, hmm?"

Reborn sighed and put his half empty cup down on the table with a clatter. The tea sloshed at the sides.

"Always the optimistic one, aren't you, Fon?" There was a little bit more confidence in his arrogant smirk now, Fon realized. He sent a peaceful tilt of the lips back in Reborn's direction. Just how shaken the strongest Arcobaleno was would stay between the two of them. And Fon knew that it wasn't just about how his first student, Cavallone Dino, had almost died at the hands of some unseen, powerful force, that which lurked in the shadows.

"Oh and by the way, Reborn. I do have one request of you, if you will just hear me out."

Reborn's phone rang, and Fon's smile widened with a calm sense of knowing. Reborn tossed him a curious look, masked beneath his usual indifference.

"What is it." From Reborn's lips, it sounded more like a command than anything. But Fon only nodded knowingly and spoke.

"Let me answer that."

* * *

The voice that Hibari heard through the phone was not one that he expected. He had been expecting the smooth, suave voice of the Arcobaleno baby, the one that constantly provided guidance to Sawada Tsunayoshi, the one that exuded a sense of power and confidence within his very pore. The one that Hibari respected.

The gentle greeting was not exactly unwelcome, however. He had heard this voice before, somewhere in the past, buried in the darker recesses of his mind, layered with his bloodlust and need for discipline, the painful forcing of himself into controlling his animalistic instincts.

Still, as his nature would have it, Hibari only managed a gruff: "Where's the baby."

The owner of the voice didn't sound surprised in the least upon hearing such a rude caller. Instead, Fon's light chuckles rang in Hibari's ears.

"Reborn's busy for the moment. I'll be giving you advice in his stead." Immediately, Hibari wanted to reject this caller. He didn't need advice, nor did he want it. He just...wanted to know how Sawada and the others were handling this situation. He knew, from the way Namimori was attacked, that Italy would not be able to escape from the creature unscathed.

"Despite there being a few things that I need to discuss with you, Hibari Kyoya, it would be better done face to face. You never know who might be listening through these lines." The caller sounded almost reluctant to be hanging up so quickly. There was some quiet mumbling in the background that even Hibari couldn't catch despite his sharp hearing.

Hibari disliked being ignored.

"Herbiv-" He started.

"Where shall I meet you?" The smooth voice cut him off once more.

Hibari frowned to himself. "You know where to find me."

Annoyance in his movements, Hibari flicked the phone shut and placed it heavily on the kotatsu in front of him. Rising gracefully from his previously sedentary position, he smoothed his yukata with a quick flick of his wrist and wandered over to the window. A thin mist covered the whole of Namimori, shrouding the little town in a deep feeling of gloom and despair. The air had become colder with the change of seasons, and the clouds almost always covered the sky. There was talk of a big 'storm' coming their way this year, with specialists in Tokyo arguing about whether it was because of ocean currents or global warming or something equally herbivorous. Hibari knew that something big was going to happen soon, but the problem was, he didn't know what.

Outwardly, his body craved sleep. But inwardly...every rumble through the earth sent warning signals through Hibari's mind, leaving him pacing and restless. He wasn't scared, no. Hibari Kyoya would not be scared of future opponents. In fact, his emotions fluttered between a state of wariness and anticipation. On better days, he would prowl the town in search of rule-breakers, wishing with all his heart to loosen his feelings in a quick, bloody battle. On other days, days when the clouds touched the ground and seemed to trail disgusting humidity around, it seemed to sap him of all energy and leave him craving for rest. Today was an inbetween, leaving him angrily fidgety and aching for a good fight.

He wanted to bite something to death.

It got up to the point where he almost wished the blonde herbivore was in town, so that he would have a slightly competent opponent to go against. All the other herbivores were scurrying about doing their own things, too busy to bother with a quick spar. When this was over, whatever _this _is, Hibari wanted to _bite everyone to death. _

* * *

When she woke again, it was to a dimmer setting. The light clink of metal on glass woke her. Scents of human food flooded her nose, leaving her bewildered. She could identify a few familiar scents wafting around, most prominent of all the Dino-who-wasn't-Dino. Perhaps it was because, in her desire to meet her most important person, she was already starting to make up scents for her surroundings. How pitiful, she complained to herself.

The material underneath her was soft to the touch, like Dino's bed. The sun had already sank low beneath the mountains, leaving her free to move about. Her eyes sought the crevices of the room, flickering to the curtains and the windows, wishing that she had enough strength to break through the barriers that kept her captive in the hands of her enemies. Around her, at the corners of the bed, towered four grand, marble pillars. Someone had replaced her usual dress with a pair of loose pants and a comfortable cotton shirt. _All the better for me to move in. _

There was no pain in her body anymore. Only when she poked her tongue around her mouth and realized that two holes stood where her fangs used to be did she realize that something was very wrong with her. Her heart flared with disgust for herself and the people who had done this to her, literally ripped away her dignity and pride.

Letting rip a cry of distress, she lept off the bed, only to choke as something tightened around her neck. Clawing at the restraint desperately, she found her fingers looping around a metal collar, carefully tightened with leather straps, keeping her bound to the room. The other end of the leash was welded securely to a metal ring that circled one of the marble pillars.

She nearly cried with desperation. She would've rather woken up to pain flaring in every part of her body than be chained to a pillar. Out of sheer anger, she had crawled to the marble pillar and had started clawing away at the stone, wishing with all her might that the pillar would just come crumbling down. She even tried biting it, but it soon became clear that she only possessed a fraction of her usual strength. Her jaw trembled; she refused to bite down fully. Would her teeth snap? Would she lose even more of her usual strength?

The door behind her opened, and she snapped around, baring her teeth angrily. An unfamiliar scent filled the room, a scent peppered with a sterile, clinical air and, underneath all the cleanness of a medical practitioner, she could catch the slightest whiff of blood. A man approached her, a man of fake cleanness, wearing a ruse that even an infant could see through. He had his bangs cut to the side, murky pink locks clinging to his thin face. He wore a look of hungry, lecherous anticipation. His eyes raked at Moriko's body, hands trembling with undisguised desire. In Moriko's eyes, this was the picture of a _true animal. _

He knelt before her, unflinching when she lashed out at him immediately. He caught her hand in his easily, twisting it so that she writhed in pain. "Oh? I thought you were stronger than that, Miss Vampire."

_How could she explain that by ripping her fangs out, they had taken the fight out of her? It was the equivalent to smashing Hibari-san's arms so that his nerves would not work, so that he would never be able to curl his fingers confidently around the handles of his tonfas again. It was equivalent to blinding and breaking Dino, so that he would never be able to fight again, or protect his famiglia with his own two hands. _

_It was the equivalent to breaking her. _

She didn't think for herself. The very thought of somebody hurting Dino sent a spike of animosity running through her. She jerked against the collar, uncaring of the way the metal dug painfully into her throat. She spat and hissed and clawed like a wild animal, even when the man in front of her parried her every blow with ease and struck her to the floor again and again.

"Stop playing with her, Glo Xinia." Someone commanded. With a scowl, the pink haired horror stepped back and flicked his glasses further up his nose in disappointment. Moriko glared warily at him and rattled her chains in what she hoped was a threatening manner. She will not let anyone close to her, for fear that they might actually decide to severe one of her limbs once more. Her thin frame trembled with fatigue, but she forced her eyes to stay open, fixed upon the face of the blonde woman who had sent her into slumber with one strike of her hand. Hostility rose within her, so much that she had trouble keeping her mouth shut so as not to scream and rage out loud. The blonde woman, the woman who possessed the closest scent to Dino she had ever come into contact with, still had her motherly facade in place.

"Are you feeling better now, darling?"

Moriko doesn't think she's ever hated someone so much as she does now.

She shied away from the palm that the woman held up, but the woman approached her fearlessly. She was frozen with fear, a mixture of white hot fright and anger coursing through her veins, pumping in her heart. And yet, she was unable to move away, the terror filling her every fibre and running through her nerves in agonizing, arching flickers.

"Now then. I suppose I don't have to try any more painful information extraction sessions on you, hmm?"

* * *

One palm pressed against his cheek, Dino stared out of the window. He wore a serious frown on his face, one rarely seen on the usually carefree Cavallone Decimo. In the past few weeks, it was all too constantly observed, frequent enough almost to state that the Cavallone Boss had forgotten how to smile.

But how could he loosen up? Moriko had just...disappeared. It was through sheer luck that Reborn managed to get him, Romario and Kusakabe out of the plane in time. He twirled his pen, sighing and wishing with all his might that when he opened his eyes the next time he blinked, she would be right there, standing shyly by the corner, hoping he would notice her, hoping he would smile at her.

He picked up the phone and dialed a well-memorized number.

The roots, having taken Moriko away from him, seemed to have fulfilled their purpose and have shrivelled up on the spot, much to Dino's relief. The last thing he remembered before collapsing out of exhaustion and shock was hearing the regular _thud _of the chopper rotors taking them away from the spot of the accident, a sound echoing the frantic beating of his heart.

He needed to find her.

For the next few days, he had his men scouring the woods. He himself paced the area where he was sure Moriko had fallen, hoping for anything that would give him an indication of where she had gone. He didn't give up, even after three weeks had passed, even after Reborn continuously kicked him for worrying, telling him that the trail had already gone cold.

He didn't give up, he wouldn't give up. He would never give up on her again.

"Kyoya, I need you to help me with something."

Silence came from the other end, but out of sheer desperation, Dino kept dialing the same number. No matter how many times Hibari ignored him, no matter how busy Hibari was, he was going to get his student's help. He could be selfish just this once, couldn't he?

"What." A rush of air escaped his lungs when Hibari finally answered. Dino smiled and pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Kyoya, please, hear me out. I need you to utilize the Foundation's information network and search for anything that might show any sign of Moriko's whereabouts. You established an extensive information line, didn't you? One that's superior to the Cavallone's one? As expected of you, Kyoya, but please, I'm begging you just this once, let me use it. Please. I know we're not even in the same Famiglia, but please..."

"Don't associate me with the Vongola herbivores."

"I-I'm sorry, Kyoya, I just..."

"Shut up and stop panicking, Bucking Horse."

Exhale, inhale, Dino reminded himself. He was so close. With Kyoya's foundation members joining in the case, it would be a piece of cake for him to find Moriko, wouldn't it?

"So...um...will you help out?"

The phone clicked shut without an answer, and Dino sighed. This was as good of an agreement he would ever get out of the aloof skylark, it seemed.

* * *

Three days later, _they found her_. Bruised and battered, thrown into an alleyway like a dead body. One of Dino's men found her and had immediately contacted his boss, imploring Dino to come quickly with medical backup.

Dino's heart had leapt with fear. If she was dead, so close to him yet separated by mortal boundaries, he didn't know what he would do.

When he arrived with the best of the Cavallone _and _Vongola medical team (Reborn sent them, claiming that he would do anything to put his idiot student's mind at peace), both of the medical personnel teams immediately got to work.

Dino watched the coated teams lift her gingerly onto a stretcher, careful not to jostle her injuries. "She's alive!" One of the medics announced, and that's all it takes for Dino to smile again.

Her lips were parted, ragged breaths escaping between tender flesh. Somebody had mangled her legs; they were twisted in an impossible position, jagged shards of bone piercing through the skin. They had shattered the bones. The blood flow trickling out of her wounds was slow and sluggish. Lacerations criss-crossed over her previously smooth and pale skin. They had been grabbing at her hair, Dino could see. There were pale spots on her scalp where the hair had been painfully ripped out by the roots. Within seconds, the bandages that had been wrapped around her had been stained a deep crimson.

"Excuse me." Dino grabbed a passing paramedic. "How severe are her injuries?" He could see them for himself, but he asked, partly because he didn't want to face reality, and yet he _needed to know. _This was Moriko they were talking about. _His Moriko. _

Even under the clinical mask, Dino could see the woman's lips twist in a half grimace. Her eyes were full of sympathy and disgust, disgust for the people who had done this to his poor Moriko. He swallowed, heart thumping in anticipation of the answer.

"We need to have proper medical equipment for proper confirmation, and that will have to take place once we get back to the hospitals, but as of now...there are a lot of broken bones. And we need to check if they've pierced any of her organs..." The young medic trailed off uncomfortably. Swallowing, she fixed her eyes on those of the worried Cavallone Don.

"She'll survive. We'll make sure of that, Don Cavallone."

* * *

**A/N: **Part 2 coming out soon. I had to split it into two chapters because it was getting two long hahaha ^.^'

Once again, thanks to all my reviewers who reviewed since I last updated: **shanagi95, Kirie Mitsuru, NeitherSaneNorInsane, NatsuLuvsKyoya, RinaKakaki43, XxSilenceOfTheNightXx, DepthOfMusic, Jane Doe (guest) **and **Ann! **Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. And this goes to all the people who followed and favorited as well! You guys are all awesome! *teary eyes*

Answer to guest reviews:

Jane Doe: I'm glad I was able to hold you captivated till the lastest chapter hahahah~ And I'm glad you enjoyed reading my fic! Yep, when I first started writing this, I was also kind of like: Oh no, what kind of idea is this...I'm just going to get a lot of disapproval for writing a Vampire!OC fic, aren't I? Heheheh~ I think it turned out alright, if I do say so myself. And yes, I'll keep working hard to keep my OC off the Mary Sue zone! Thank you ever so much for your review!

Ann: Ahahah~ Don't worry, I started writing this out of sheer boredom too. Thank you so much for the compliment! I hope this fic will continue to keep you entertained :P


	13. Chapter 12: A Past Best Forgotten (II)

**A/N: **Long time no talk, my dearest readers! I'm sorry for the delay, but here you go. Without further ado, let's get on to the chapter!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

**Rating: **T

* * *

A Past Best Forgotten (Part II)

* * *

Darkness encompassed her. She couldn't muster the courage or the strength to open her eyes. She was scared of what she'd see. She couldn't take it if it were just the mad scientists, with their twisted smiles waiting for her again. The insane woman and the disgusting pink-haired man.

When the smell of Dino assaulted her nostrils, her first reaction was to fight. To fight, and then flee the scene, before anything else could happen to her. Before they could hurt her again.

She tugged at her wrist straps, ignoring shouts of alarm all around her, the screeching of machines shrill in her ears. With a cry of anger, she managed to wrench one of her hands free before someone pounced on it and held it down. She squirmed and writhed angrily, hissing and thrashing about, twisting the sheets underneath her.

"Moriko! Moriko, it's me, Dino!"

_No, I won't fall for that. You can't trick me anymore with your smoke images. _It wasn't Dino, she told herself. It was just a tape recording of him. When she opened her eyes, she would be disappointed again, because all that would be there was just a projected image of Dino. It was just a projection, one that she could put her hands through. One that couldn't hold her, couldn't protect her and make the pain go away. It wouldn't be Dino anymore. If she opened her eyes, she would only be disappointed, and hurt.

Her head hurt. It felt as if someone had taken it between their hands and was squeezing it with all their might, so that her skull was slowly being crushed beneath their fingers. It was an uncomfortable tightness that she had come to associate with being bound and chained, a feeling she had come to associate with flares of pain, beatings and cold knives against her skin.

Pain and fear battled within her as she continued struggling against her bonds, crying out with anger. Dino's smell was still there, and that in itself was a reason to be scared. _She was still here and she's out to get me again. She's going to take me and hurt me until I tell her everything...Until I betray Dino completely..._

"We're going to give her a shot, Don Cavallone! Please stand back, otherwise you might get hurt! Please stand back!"

She could hear him retort. "Don't hurt her!" He sounded panicked, concerned for her wellbeing. She could only marvel for a moment at how realistic it imitated his voice. She could almost imagine that he was beside her, his warmth surrounding her, calming her. And for a moment, she stopped to imagine that this was the case, only to yowl in agony as the scientists pounced upon her mercilessly, taking advantage of her lull in concentration.

"I said don't hurt her! You're not helping if you break her any further!" The Dino-imitation sounded angry now.

"Boss, stay back. We're trying to help her. We're trying to help her as best as we can, but we can't do it if you insist that she stays untouched. She's scared now, so we have to calm her down as best as we can so that we can talk to her, alright? It'll be okay in a while." The last sentence was directed at her, she could sense it. And for some reason, the fatherly voice that had spoke in opposition to Dino calmed her.

Gradually, she was able to match the voice to an image. A man with half-rimmed glasses and a bushy mouth, a man always close to Dino. He smelt of cleanliness and concern for the young boss, and acted like they were kin. He was a nice person...and it left her feeling betrayed. Even he had started working for the pain-inducing scientists? Even he had gave in to the sweet words of the insane woman? Stuck in her feverish state, she could only go limp and allow them to do whatever they wanted with her. There was nothing she could do anyway. The two gaping holes in her mouth reminded her as much.

She stiffened as the smell of chemicals and thin, painful lines of metal drew closer. Someone beside her murmured softly and stroked her hair. She flinched away from the contact, and got a prick in the arm as a reward. She whimpered in helplessness as the chemical sapped her strength once more.

But it was different this time. It didn't suck hungrily at her energy, as she might suck hungrily at her prey's blood. Instead, it was a gradual fading of her energy, almost peaceful, like they were singing her slowly to sleep. With the energy drain, her pain also slipped and faltered, small slivers of agony peeling off her skin.

Her consciousness flickered and dimmed.

* * *

"Is she going to wake up soon?"

"Don Cavallone, it's best to let her sleep."

"Bring my paperwork here, Romario. I'll keep her company while I work some things out. There's still lots to do, right? Why don't you get to overseeing the renovations? We still have to strengthen security and..."

"Boss, don't overwork yourself. You haven't slept since she's been brought in."

"Ah, Romario. Don't worry about me. I'll be okay."

* * *

Voices flickered in and out of her consciousness, sweeping through her mind. Her eyelids flickered, but they were too heavy for her to lift. There was something on top of her, something soft and warm, but in a fit of panicked anger, she thought that the blanket was keeping her grounded to the bed. Fear of being hurt again prompted her to lash out and scream.

She was surprised when her fist actually connected with something.

A warm grip on her wrist kept her from moving her arm. Still, she kicked her legs and twisted to get away from the grip that would surely turn malicious in a second. The grip loosened and she took the opportunity to wrench it out of her assailant's grasp. With a cry, her eyes blinked open and she found herself staring at Dino.

"...How...are you feeling, Moriko?"

They had put her to sleep in the morning, and now it was evening. The sun hung lowly in the sky, partly hidden by clouds but still prominent enough to cast a small glow on their surroundings. Dino had been sitting by her bedside for the whole day, patiently working through his paperwork as he waited for her to wake up. Empty food trays littered the floor beside him. He had refused to leave her side unless it was an emergency or unless he had to use the bathroom.

And now, she was finally awake.

She didn't respond to his voice, but he somewhat expected that. Dino leaned towards her and observed as she flinched backwards in response to his movement. "Are you going to talk to me?" He asked. No verbal response from her. Only blank stares and fearful shivering.

Sighing, he went back to his paperwork, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes once in a while. In front of him, Moriko huddled in her blankets and stared at him, eyes following his pen as it moved across the page.

Even though it had been weeks since their old mansion had been ripped apart by the _something _in the forest, the Cavallone family was far from total recovery. There was still renovations to be made, furniture and things to order, teams to send back to retrieve documents that are important before enemy famiglia get their hands on them. Dino had piles and piles of paperwork to tackle, so much that he had unwillingly stayed inside for the past week without even a chance to go out for a stroll.

He hadn't gone out since he had found her.

The only thing that kept him working and on his toes was the fact that Moriko had been returned to him. He had men scouring the records for any famiglia that might have had a grudge against the Cavallone, a grudge big enough to make them foolishly torture one of his own. He was still trying to piece together the helicopter accident, and work out how Moriko went from falling into the forest to being in the hands of enemies.

No results had come in yet, and although Dino stuck to his thinking that 'no news was good news', even he was getting frustrated. The Vongola side were quiet as well. He hadn't heard from his little brother in the weeks since the big incident happened, and he thought that maybe they were on their way to recovery as well. It seems like the creature of the forest has more influence than he had previously believed.

Sighing, he shuffled his papers and continued signing them. The room had gotten so quiet that he almost forgot he had an audience until a little cough came from her.

"A-ah, would you like something to drink?" Standing and stretching, he headed to the kitchen to grab her a bottle of water and a tub of ice cream. Maybe she would recognize something in her favorite snack, he hoped.

* * *

When he came back, she was gone. The water and ice cream fell out of his limp grasp. Her IV lines were torn and cut, hanging limply in place, and one of the fluid bags was leaking. The window was broken, the curtains were torn. "Wh...what the hell?" Dino shook from frustration, exhaustion and anger. Did she break out, or had someone or something broken in to take her away from him again?

A movement down in the new gardens caught his eye. A flash of a white gown and ebony hair, and she was gone, running away from the humans she had grown to fear.

With a curse, Dino leapt out the window, using his whip to land in a nearby tree before scrambling down. Without a second to waste, he ran after her.

* * *

It was unfamiliar. Unfamiliar territory.

Desperation blossomed in her chest. She could only run for a little bit before she ran out of energy, but she was a creature of the wild. She went where her instincts told her to.

She found herself bobbing and weaving around pedestrians on a busy street. Artificial lights lit up the walkways around her, and she squealed in pain as the light hit her body. It reminded her of the pain she had so recently been through, and she skittered off the pedestrian path. Cars honked at her as she raced across the streets and ducked through alleyways. Hands shot out to grab her, but she darted nimbly around those. Like a deer running away from predators, only sheer fear kept her from collapsing on the ground. Scents and sights passed her by in blurs and whirlwinds of confusing color and smell.

Her feet were starting to bleed, and previously well-tightened bandages were starting to loosen. Her wounds opened, and blood streamed down her body, coloring her white gown. Sobbing and frightened out of her mind, she ran into the nearest doorway and immediately backed out as people screamed and beat at her with magazines, bottles and anything else on hand. She had accidentally walked into someone's house.

Left. Right. Right. Forward, forward, _forward. _

She couldn't turn back now. Her legs hurt. Her body ached. Her stomach was empty and as soon as she noticed her hunger, her mind latched onto the ravenous pain with a ferocity that she hadn't experienced in years.

Darting around the nearest bend, she stumbled back into the opening of the alleyway, crouched and waited. When the nearest person passed by, a woman talking on her phone, she reached out and grabbed her, slitting her throat before she could even scream. Opening her mouth, she leaned forward and was about to sink her fangs into her throat before she realized that she didn't have fangs. Not anymore.

She wasn't a proper vampire anymore.

And yet, the rich aroma of the life liquid draining out of the corpse at her feet was beckoning her. Sloppily, she pressed her lips to the wound and sipped at it instead of draining it with her fangs. It was messy, and she soon found herself covered in blood, but it was _rewarding_. Her wounds slowly closed as she hungrily gulped all the blood from the corpse. When she had finally drank her fill, she sat back. The corpse in front of her crumbled into a pile of flesh and bones, skin dry and rough to the tough.

For a few minutes, she leant there, completely spent. The air around her thickened and her breathing became ragged. Her pupils dilated with fear. Someone else was coming for her. Someone...something else...

"Oya? What do we have here. Another little murderess? But somehow, I think I've seen you somewhere before..." The voice held a tinge of threat and amusement to it, and she was instantly scared. It sounded like the lady who smelt like Dino but wasn't Dino; a manipulative trickster who would only hurt her in the end. She didn't want to deal with this, she realized, and so she immediately chose the flight option instead of fight.

She turned and ran, even as mist trailed into the alleyway after her. Her vision filled with white, but she ran blindly onwards. Her bare feet pattered painfully through shards of glass and the scent of her own bland blood rose to meet that of the rich liquid that still lingered on her dress.

Before her very eyes, mist started clogging up the alleyway. She stumbled backwards and fell, crashing into a couple of empty trash cans. The ringing of the falling metal created such a din around her that she wasn't able to hear his approaching footsteps until he was standing right in front of her.

Or had he walked? He had materialized in front of her. Like a ghost.

She scrambled backwards in fear as his drew closer. His chuckles seemed to come from all directions around her. Her terrified mind had frozen her movements, and she didn't even register her own pain as she found herself backed into a corner. Her thoughts looped over and over, like a broken recorder. _Fight him. Fight him. Run, run, run..._She let out a broken sob and curled into a little ball in preparation for the blows that would surely fall upon her body.

* * *

Mukuro raised his trident. Of course he remembered who she was; she was the vampiress who had the _nerve _to drink from his dear Chrome. Even though it was voluntary on Chrome's part...Mukuro had come to make her pay. Ah, Mukuro remembered now. They had even clashed once, on Cavallone property, a battle that had been too quick for Mukuro to find any particular enjoyment in testing his strength against hers.

It seemed like she has changed a bit...he stared down at the cowering, sniveling creature before him. She had definitely gotten weaker, somehow. While part of him grappled with curiosity, the other half reminded him not to show mercy. He struck, pulling his trident back and swinging it forward.

"STOP!"

Before he could jab at her with the glimmering tip of the three-pronged weapon, a whip shot out of nowhere and wrapped around his wrist. Mukuro's arm trembled. His smile froze dangerously, and he began leaking death intent. Cavallone arrives at the worst possible moments, doesn't he? The fun was just starting too...Mukuro had heard some rumors about this girl's particular fighting style. If the Skylark was going to play with her, then he wanted part too.

"She's injured and scared. Don't do anything to her, Mukuro." And now a dangerous edge had crept into Cavallone's words. Intrigued, Mukuro allowed the whip to lower his hand.

Seeing the opening, Moriko darted towards him, intent on escaping the corner he had chased her into. Mukuro moved fast, barring her way with his trident. She skittered backwards as she heard the slam of the weapon hitting the floor.

"What the hell? Mukuro, didn't I tell you not to do anything?"

"Hmm...I don't recall you specifying that I shouldn't move. Besides, I have yet to touch her with the weapon." He poked her with the blunt end of the weapon, watching curiously as she flinched with the touch and withdrew into an even smaller ball.

"Mukuro, please." The heartfelt worry in Dino's voice made even him hesitate. _Oya, since when did the Cavallone Don's heart become so soft for a woman? _Mukuro suspected that this woman was probably as important to Dino as Chrome was to him, so for the first time in his life, Mukuro found himself backing off. Before he did so, he reached out and touched her mind, out of curiosity for what caused her behavior.

_I'm not a proper vampire anymore. My fangs...My fangs..._

A torrent of pain and fear slammed into his brain, causing even Mukuro to reel backwards. Dino let out a shout of alarm and reached out to steady him, but Mukuro swatted his hand away nonchalantly.

"There's something broken in there, Cavallone. That's all I'm going to tell you." Mukuro pointed his trident at Moriko's forehead, unable to tear his eyes away from the blank stare she gave him. It was a look of complete resignation, almost as if she didn't care if he hurt her anymore. Aside from torture, there was little Mukuro could associate with that look. In fact, it reminded him of the look he sported as he first escaped from the Estraneo Famiglia. When he had first opened his eyes in the Vindiche prison, he had caught sight of his own reflection in the curved glass. His eyes...his eyes were...

Like hers.

* * *

Before Dino could stop him, Mukuro flung his trident. Instead of striking Moriko, as the Cavallone Don had feared, the trident dissolved into thin air soundlessly. Mukuro knelt and stared back at Moriko. They spent a few seconds that way, looking into each other's eyes, almost as if they were having a silent conversation.

Dino's gut twisted uncomfortably at the notion. What was it that they were talking about?

_And how dare he get so close to his Moriko? _

After another tense few seconds, tears welled up in Moriko's eyes. Dino was about to fling himself between them, to interfere, when Mukuro suddenly straightened and brushed his shirt off, chuckling all the while. His chuckles were laced with anger and a tinge of melancholy, as if he was reminiscing something that he was displeased about. Dino's suspicions were confirmed a mere moment later.

"Another Famiglia has risen to take the Estraneo's place." Mukuro's voice quivered in untold anger, and even now, shaking with quiet fury, he had his smile in place. _What a terrifying sight. _

"I understand." Dino replied tersely. With Mukuro like this, one could not be too careful with choosing one's words. Anything could trigger the blue-haired man's wrath, and even Dino was wary of making the Vongola Mist guardian an enemy.

"Do you really, Cavallone? Do you really understand?" Mukuro had turned to him now with something close to loathing in his eyes. Dino felt taken aback. He was about to ask what he had done wrong before he finally understood what Mukuro was trying to tell him. He backed away respectfully.

"Actually, I don't. But I'm sure you do. If it would not bother you so, please tell me what happened to her." Dino said.

Dino sighed in relief when Mukuro turned back to Moriko and his eyes softened with rare sympathy. It was a miracle that a man like Mukuro could even feel such an emotion, but then again, Dino didn't understand the extent of mental scarring that had remained in Mukuro's heart and mind after they were done with experimenting on him. Yes, it brought him his powers as an illusionist, but the torturous period that he had to live through was forever etched in his mind as a period of never-ending fear, pain and hopelessness. Mukuro did not wish for anyone to have to go through such an ordeal, not even his enemies.

"They experimented on her, like she was a lab rat. And also..."

Mukuro reached down and gently took Moriko's face in his hands. She was shivering at his touch, but he looked into her mind and calmed her with a few words. "Open your mouth for us, vampiress." He whispered.

Trembling with fear, Moriko opened her jaw obediently and revealed her fangless gums.

Dino could only look on in dawning horror and understanding.

* * *

"My resources are at your disposal, and you can stay here for as long as it is convenient. Even if you have to go back to the Vongola Headquarters, feel free to return whenever you want to. It's a pleasure to work with you." Dino reached out to shake hands with Mukuro, but the illusionist only spared him a suave smile.

"I will be fine, Cavallone, although I might take you up on your offer if Chrome ever needs to get away from the nerve-grating antics of the Vongola Family. I'm sure the Cavallone bunch is much more..._refined._"

Dino sighed at Mukuro's comment. It was just like the tricky illusionist to twist his words so that Cavallone couldn't accept his 'compliment' of the Vongola Mist without admitting the insult to the Vongola, and neither could he write the compliment off for it would suggest that his family wasn't...how did Mukuro put it? _Refined. _

Dino settled for smiling in return, before leaving the long-haired illusionist to unpack in his new quarters.

A minute later, Dino found himself back in his office, phone in hand. He dialed Tsuna's office number eagerly and waited. The phone picked up in three rings.

"Who is this?" A gruff voice came from the other end.

"Ah! Gokudera, is it?" Dino laughed. "I haven't heard from you guys in so long! How is everyone doing? How is little bro holding up?"

He could even imagine Gokudera bristling as the hot-headed bomber retorted immediately. "The Tenth is fine! And of course he's leading the Family well! Who do you think you're talking to, Cavallone? What the fuck do you want anyway? Tenth is too busy to talk crap with you! Unlike you, he has a bigger Famiglia to run, and he's probably working ten times harder than you a-"

The phone was abruptly cut off and a panting Tsuna could be heard. "H...Hey there...Dino-san! *huff* Sorry, Re...Reborn made me run...*huff* From the...second gardens...*huff* I guess I need to build up my stamina more..." There was a break in the one-sided conversation as Tsuna put down the phone to gulp some water down. In the background, Gokudera could be heard stammering apologies and there was a banging sound that suspiciously reminded Dino of a skull being repeatedly smashed into the floorboards. Tsuna's voice drifted into the fray a little while later.

"G-Gokudera-kun! Please don't do that, I need you fully functional in both mind and body...I thought we talked about this, Gokudera-kun! Hiiieee! The tapestry doesn't need your head print on it...G-Gokudera-kun! You haven't failed me, really, I really don't mind, next time just be nicer to Dino-san, okay? Okay? Please go get me some files from the recent Korea expedition. Yeah, that would be nice. Thank you!"

Dino sighed and smiled. Some things just didn't change with the Vongola family, did it?

"Ah, Dino-san? Sorry to keep you waiting."

The sound of Tsuna sighing as he collapsed into the leather armchair in his office came through the phone. Dino winced in sympathy. Reborn wasn't going to let him relax for long, so it was lucky that he got to take a breather already.

"So, how's it going on the Vongola side? Did you guys get hit hard?" Dino had only gotten to see a little bit of the impressive Vongola-relocation strategy as soon as they had touched down from the helicopter that the rescue force from the Vongola had sent to save them, on the day that Moriko went missing. And even so, he had been in too much of a daze to recognize that anything was going on.

"Hmm," Tsuna replied absently. "It's going good. The Family members are all doing fine, and Reborn's overseeing the construction of a new mansion and headquarters with my Dad. Everything's on track...although the paperwork's hell."

"Ah, I can sympathize with that." Dino chuckled. "By the way, I heard Namimori got hit pretty hard! How's Kyoya doing?"

"Namimori was saved by Lambo of all people. And Hibari-san...wait a second, why are you calling me? We're usually too busy for this type of chit-chat, although it wouldn't hurt to hear from you once in a while, Dino-san." Tsuna sounded rueful, and the sound of a gun cocking in the background confirmed Dino's thoughts. Reborn had come back to see why his student wasn't working, and now they had to cut the chat.

"I'm just calling to let you know that Mukuro's with me, little bro. He'll be aiding in a part of our investigation, and he's probably not going to return to Vongola's side until a few weeks later. Is that alright with you?"

"M-Mukuro? Ah, that's fine. He goes where he wants to anyway. But wait a minute...Isn't Hibari-san supposed to be with you too? Are you sure you can handle the two of them under the same roof? Hibari-san's supposed to be arriving today as well...Although he never really confirms with us about his arrival times anyway."

That made Dino pause. He hadn't heard anything about Kyoya coming. Could it be..._that I forgot? _

"Oh _shit._" Dino let the phone clatter to the table as he ruffled frantically through his papers. He remembered now, remembered seeing something about Kyoya's flight schedule...remembered seeing that Kyoya was going to head over in a few days...and the memo had been sent a few days ago. But in the light of events, with Moriko escaping and whatnot, Dino hadn't had time to properly schedule that...

"Obscenities are undisciplined. I will bite you to death, Cavallone."

A tonfa swung downwards and cracked his desk in two. Dino let out a yelp of surprise and leapt backwards before the second hit could land on him. His whip was out in an instant, fending off Kyoya's furious blows. From the shadowed look on Hibari's face, Dino knew he was in trouble. He had forgotten to send transportation for Kyoya, _and _the skylark was jetlagged.

And the best was yet to come, wasn't it?

"Oya? A battle royale in the Cavallone office? Why wasn't I invited to thisdelightful event?"

If possible, Hibari's death intent increased tenfold. He raised his face long enough to give Mukuro a murderous glare before charging at the illusionist. Dino was forgotten in the corner of the room, tangled in his own whip.

* * *

A clap and rumble of thunder shocked her into consciousness.

Moriko looked fearfully around her, clad in a cleaned white gown and covered with tightened bandages. Her body didn't ache anymore, if she stayed still. If she moved, sharp shards of pain would run up and down her spine and leave her breathless with agony. Her body felt significantly lighter than before, and some of the black-blue-yellow patches on her arm had faded to a sickly green. When she poked those little circles of discoloration, more pain appeared and she winced. What a joke, she thought to herself. A vampire who couldn't take pain.

Her mind didn't hurt anymore as well. She was slowly lulled to sleep by familiar voices every night, and she had slowly lost the fear of being hurt after nothing happened for the next few days. What resurfaced in her mind was a desire to see Dino, just to confirm if she was in familiar territory. What she didn't know was that Dino had only been allowed to visit her when she was asleep, because whenever Dino's scent came near her, she lashed out and turned into a senseless, sobbing mess.

Picking at her white hospital gown, she shuffled through her memories in attempt to get her mind in order.

Her old teacher, Fon, had told her of the human story of vampires. They were shown as scary creatures who could see and hunt in the darkness, who had faster speed and stronger hits than humans, and who could heal instantly. The only weakness they had was the sun, and garlic, for some reason.

She had found the stories amusing, almost like little fairy-tales for her to recall when she wanted to drift off to sleep. But right now, she wished she was as strong as humans thought she could be.

Another rattle of the window startled her. When she finally worked up the courage to peek outside, she saw that a storm had blew up. Rain lashed at the windows. Lightning forked in the sky and thunder rumbled the earth. She winced and covered her ears, diving under the blankets for cover. She wondered when the scientists would come back for her.

She didn't remember much of her daring escape, only that she had run out to escape from something and then something else something even more dangerous had appeared. That, and her inability to fight had surfaced to her mind. Also, she felt full...and ashamed of herself.

_I killed another human today, and I also couldn't fight, even though I'm full. _

Once upon a time, she would've thought herself proud that she didn't attack anyone when she was full, because it meant that she had self control. But this time...this time she just felt weak. Her tongue poked at the holes where her fangs used to be.

Struggling at the heavy covers that covered her still injured body, she managed to untangle herself from the bed and stand. She growled in annoyance at the little pin-pricks of pain she felt as she tugged against the needles and patches that connected her to various machines. Just as she finished pulling the annoying patches off her (a sign of scientific meddling, no doubt), another loud rumble sounded throughout the building, and she leapt back in shock.

_There's a thunderstorm...inside? _

When the walls of her room started shaking and plaster started crumbling with the force of the rumbling indoors thunder, she could only yowl in fear like a trapped animal. She was at the window in a flash, clawing at the glass, wishing that she were outside in the storm rather than indoors. But for all her strength, she couldn't get the window open.

She twisted as medical equipment started toppling around her, crashing to the floor and shattering. Her feet danced on broken glass and jagged metal. With whimpers of pain, she scrambled into the bathroom and closed the door. Even in the bathroom, she could hear the rumbling as the very foundation of the building seem to tremble. She stepped into the bathtub and stayed there, shivering. Was anyone going to come for her? Were they leaving her there to die?

Without warning, a large chunk of plaster detached itself from the ceiling and dropped on top of her. She didn't even have time to scream in pain as it clipped her neatly in the head, sending her curling into a ball. Black edged her vision as her head throbbed.

Stiffening, she slipped into unconsciousness, to a world where she forgot the radiant smile that had once ruled her life, and a world where the walls ate at her memories and turned them into nothing but darkness.

* * *

"Guys, stop it! Kyoya, stand down!"

Mukuro and Hibari were going at it like a pair of ferocious predators fighting for territory. The walls of the mansion shook with their every blow, and even Dino couldn't pull them apart. Dino had ordered his men to take cover in other parts of the mansion for fear that the building would start crumbling.

Hibari and Mukuro had moved from brawling in his office to striking at each other in the hallways. With every sweep of the trident, Mukuro destroyed some more of the Cavallone wallpaper, knocking priceless paintings awry and gouging deep lines in the concrete. With every swing of Hibari's tonfas, artifacts were knocked over and smashed on the floor. The two fighters dodged their own carnage nimbly, leaving Dino to deal with the wake of their anger for each other.

It seemed like it would never stop until the two of them were exhausted of their actions. Mukuro and Hibari were evenly matched, and neither was willing to give way. Dino was about to give up and evacuate the mansion for the second time in a month when his ears caught a faint cry of fear that came from the infirmary.

_Moriko...of course! How could I forget about her? _

With a burst of desperation, sky flames coated his whip. He lashed out, pushing the two males farther apart from each other, far enough so that they couldn't easily reach each other for blows.

"Stop this right now." Dino growled in irritation. The two fighters stared wordlessly as the panicked bronco raced down the hallway.

* * *

He found her in the bathroom, curled up on one side of the bathtub, unconscious. A glance to the side of the tub revealed the source; a chunk of plaster must've fallen and hit her on the head. He called for medics, but nobody came. The room was strewn with debris and littered with broken equipment. Her feet were cut, bruised and bloody.

Cursing to himself in anger, he took off his jacket and wrapped her limp body in it, treading carefully out of the room. The sight of damaged hospital equipment angered him. He would have to pay billions to repair everything in the mansion, especially since this new Headquarters had been established less than a month ago and still had to be fortified against all kinds of crazy Mafioso attacks. Mukuro and Hibari's attack had been equivalent to setting the clock back and making Dino wade through all the hard work _again. _

He was going to have to talk to the two maniacs.

Grumbling to himself, he didn't realize where he was going until he realized he was back in his own room, facing the big king-sized bed that he spent his nights in. He grimaced as he realized he would have to backtrack all the way to the infirmary if he wanted to place Moriko in good hands. The woman in his arms was slumbering peacefully, one arm curled around his neck as if she wanted him closer. The plaster would probably cause no more than a bruise; there had been no blood on her except in her feet area, and he could always have the head-wound looked at once everything has been restored and he had a good talking-to with Mukuro and Hibari.

As for the hospital equipment: her injuries had been stabilized, so they had simply put her on the heart-rate monitor in case anything might happen. But Moriko didn't need a heart-rate monitor. Dino had been doing some research of his own and had found out that although vampires were fallible to nearly everything humans were (illness, injury, bullets etc.), they were infallible to many heart diseases, such as heart attack, or simply having the heart stop beating. There would be no worries in that department, and for that, Dino was glad.

Which meant he didn't have to return her to the infirmary immediately.

She nuzzled into his touch and his gaze softened. This was the first time in the past few days that she didn't try to fight him off when he got close. He wondered if she fought him off because she hated him for some reason. He certainly wouldn't blame her if she did, because the last time they had been able to look each other in the eye, he had first rejected her and then promised her a date before letting her fall out of his grasp and topple into the forest. And then her torturers had gotten their hands on her. It all pointed back to one simple fact; Dino had been too weak and stupid to be able to protect her. It was only right that she wanted away from him.

"I agree, you've been somewhat a douche to her, kufufu~"

Trust Mukuro to give him a motivational booster. Dino sighed and placed her in his soft sheets, tucking her in gently before turning to exit the room and give the two Vongola Guardians a good scolding. He didn't even want to imagine how Tsuna dealt with them most of the time.

Mukuro was leaning against the doorframe, a devilish smirk painted all over his features. Hibari was standing farther back, glaring daggers at the man, hand clenching his tonfa handle so tightly that Dino even entertained the sight of Hibari's metal tonfas cracking for a second. The three of them faced off in a tense silence before Dino gestured for them to move. "We need to talk. In my office, both of you, now."

"We have no obligation to follow your orders, Bronco." Hibari interjected.

"I agree." Mukuro replied smoothly, smirking at the Skylark.

Hibari's face twisted as if he'd ingested something disgusting, before he stalked down the hallway in the direction of Dino's office. Mukuro winked at the Cavallone Don and turned to head in the same direction as well. Dino could only shake his head and grimace. One thing Hibari hated was having to agree with Rokudo Mukuro, or having Mukuro agree with him, and so Mukuro's words had persuaded the Skylark to actually show up in his office.

Dino rolled up his sleeves and secured his whip around the back of his trousers. He had a feeling he might need to take this conversation outside.

As soon as he rounded the corner, he heard a desolate, confused wail coming from his room. He stiffened and turned back immediately.

"Moriko?" He whispered as soon as he poked his head into the room.

There she was, looking frail and lost in her white gown, sitting among the soft pillows and blankets that he had wrapped around her. He started forward immediately, wincing when she flinched at the sight of him and scrambled underneath a pile of pillows.

Dino smiled and leaned over the bed, peering into the pillow-cave that she had made for herself. This all felt so nostalgic.

"Peekaboo, I see you." Dino murmured. Moriko bared her teeth warily at him, and Dino retreated hastily as one hand stretched out to claw at his face.

"What's wrong, Moriko? Don't you remember me?"

* * *

When she opened her eyes again, she didn't recognize _anything _around her. From the fluffy land-clouds around her, to the white-cloth-sea that had been spun around her body. She was confused. Where was she? What happened?

She had cried out in fear. Her mind only remembered green. She was supposed to be in a place with green and earth and towering brown plants, but she was wrapped in this...unfamiliar, alien white that was soft to the touch. She growled at it, but it didn't do anything to her, and she could only numbly bat at it in hopes that it was something she could sink her teeth into.

When nothing happened, she piled it up and decided to make a shelter for herself. She would find her way out of this strange world once the eye-in-the-sky was safely below the mountains.

And then she had heard noises. Something had come into the room to stare at her. She had taken refuge in the shadows. The thing had stuck its head closer to her and had made soft noises, noises that sounded both jumbled and systematic. Maybe it was trying to talk to her; she didn't understand. She was scared of it, scared of the face that had appeared, with it's golden fur and rounded eyes, big nose and wide mouth. It had spoken to her, but she had lashed out at it. Go away, she wanted to growl, go away.

But it's scent. It's scent was so familiar. She felt as if she had smelled it before, a long time ago, in a dream. It was a good scent, and it matched with the taste of delicious blood, so perhaps he was her prey. But she felt no desire to hurt him. Instead, she only felt the desire to feed...and protect.

* * *

Dino yelped and fell backwards as she suddenly barreled into him, snarling and snapping at his flesh. He twisted out of the way and grappled with her until he managed to hold her at bay, an arms length away. She was clawing at him now, not like she was angry with him, but like...like she was hungry.

Understanding battled with sorrow in his eyes. He shook her once.

"Moriko, it's me, Dino, do you remember me?"

She hissed and spat in discomfort as his shaking movements jostled her wounds. The wounds that she didn't know how she got. Dino could see it in her blank eyes. The hunger-driven stare that she wore. Her molten silver eyes, devoid of emotion even though he spoke her name over and over.

He gave in soon. Maybe feeding would help her heal.

He watched as the confused vampire closed in on his flesh, her breath tickling the nape of his neck as she sniffed out a good vein. When she found one, she opened her mouth and sunk her fangs in...or tried to. She pulled back, looking confused as she couldn't get a good hold on him. He stared sadly back at her.

"W...w..." She gasped. Dino encouraged her to go on, her lips forming familiar words from muscle memory alone.

"Where are they?"

"_Where are my fangs?" _

* * *

**A/N: **Phew! Part three is being written, so sit tight! Thanks to all those who supported this fic so far. Also, a big thank you to my reviewers, for taking the time to patiently drop some comments in, and for not throwing sticks and stones at me when I don't update immediately. Please do keep giving me comments, as they keep me going! I look forward to hearing from you all!

Also, thanks to all those who followed and favorited this story as well :3 It's nice to know that people are still reading!

Reviewers: **anyandeveryanime, shanagi95, DepthOfMusic, Kirie Mitsuru, BlueTwilight94, Aoi Kazuya, PrincipessaBel, TheBloodyArrow, Crystallized Dreamz **and **otatataku**. Thank you all for your kind words!

Memory Loss!Moriko and Devastated!Dino.


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